ST. LOUIS — Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter had surgery Tuesday to transpose a nerve in his right elbow, the same procedure St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols had last month.

The Cardinals did not say whether Carpenter remained on a timetable to return by spring training.

The 33-year-old righty pitched only 15 1-3 innings over four appearances last season after recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery. The 2005 NL Cy Young winner went 0-1 with a 1.76 ERA and was shut down in early September.

After Carpenter visited four specialists, the Cardinals announced Oct. 1 that he would not undergo a procedure on his right shoulder brought on by nerve irritation in his elbow. The team said Carpenter's elbow surgery was not expected to "interfere with or prolong" his current shoulder therapy and rehabilitation.

Pujols underwent the surgery on Oct. 13 after complaining of multiple symptoms related to nerve irritation the final month of the season. Pujols said he felt numbness, tingling in his ring finger and pinkie, weakness in his grip and pain along the inside of the forearm.

After that surgery, the team said it expected Pujols would be ready for spring training.

Braden Looper, a starter the last two seasons with St. Louis, has opted for free agency