Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Not starting against southpaw
Rotowire
Carpenter isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for Thursday's game versus the Reds, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
St. Louis will match up against left-handed starter Andrew Abbott on Thursday, so the lefty-hitting Carpenter will step out of the lineup. Willson Contreras will take over as the DH while Pedro Pages starts at catcher and bats ninth.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Sitting during nightcap
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Carpenter isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Atlanta.
Carpenter went 1-for-1 with a single and a sacrifice fly during a loss in Game 1, and the Cardinals will give him a breather to conclude Wednesday's activities. Willson Contreras will instead serve as St. Louis' DH while Pedro Pages starts behind the plate.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Playing time trending up
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Carpenter will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 7 batter in Monday's game against Atlanta.
After he was excluded from the lineup for a stretch of six consecutive games from June 12 through 17 while the Cardinals faced four lefty starters and handed starts to Nolan Arenado and Masyn Winn at DH in the other two matchups with righties, Carpenter will now get his sixth start in a row. He's earned a more stable spot in the lineup against righties after going 6-for-16 with a double and a walk over the previous five games. The lefty-hitting Carpenter should continue to sit regularly versus lefties, however.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Losing out on DH starts
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The lefty-hitting Carpenter finds himself on the bench for the fifth game in a row, with St. Louis having faced three lefties and two righties during that stretch. Though he appeared headed for a regular role at DH versus righties after Lars Nootbaar (oblique) was placed on the injured list May 31, Carpenter seems to have fallen out of favor after mustering a .130/.200/.261 slash line through his first eight games of June. The Cardinals may just prefer to rotate a number of regulars at the DH spot rather than settling on a primary option.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Not in St. Louis lineup
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Carpenter is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates.
Carpenter has been seeing most of the starts in the designated-hitter spot for the Cardinals versus righties since Lars Nootbaar (oblique) went on the injured list, resulting in Alec Burleson playing regularly in right field. However, Carpenter will begin Thursday's contest on the bench against right-hander Mitch Keller. Nolan Arenado will serve as St. Louis' DH while Jose Fermin replaces Arenado at third base.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Out against lefty
Rotowire
Carpenter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
The lefty-hitting Carpenter will hit the bench Wednesday while the Pirates bring southpaw Bailey Falter to the hill. With Carpenter taking a seat, Alec Burleson will get a day out of the outfield and serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter while Dylan Carlson steps in as St. Louis' starting right fielder.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Clubs homer in loss
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Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Rockies.
Carpenter got the Cardinals back within a run with his seventh-inning blast, but they couldn't build on it. Both of his homers this season have come over his last nine games. The designated hitter is at a .200/.294/.317 slash line with five RBI, six runs scored, one double and no stolen bases through 68 plate appearances. Carpenter has seen steadier playing time at designated hitter with Alec Burleson filling in as an outfielder due to the absence of Lars Nootbaar (oblique).
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Getting breather versus LHP
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Carpenter isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The left-handed bat of Carpenter will be forced out of the lineup Friday as southpaw Austin Gomber prepares to toe the slab for Colorado. Jose Fermin will instead serve as St. Louis' designated hitter while batting seventh.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Not in Wednesday's lineup
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Houston.
Carpenter has been seeing regular playing time at designated hitter against right-handers since Lars Nootbaar (oblique) went on the injured list, with Alec Burleson covering Nootbaar's usual spot in right field. However, Carpenter will begin Wednesday's game on the bench, as Ivan Herrera will be in the DH slot versus Astros righty Ronel Blanco.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Getting regular at-bats versus RHPs
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Carpenter will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's game against the Astros.
Carpenter has now been included in the lineup in four straight matchups with right-handed pitchers and could settle in as St. Louis' primary DH due to Lars Nootbaar's oblique injury opening up more opportunities in right field for Alec Burleson. Since returning from the injured list May 11 after missing more than five weeks of action with an oblique injury of his own, Carpenter has slashed .176/.300/.294 over 11 games.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Hits first homer of season
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Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Reds.
The long ball was Carpenter's first of the campaign, as he took Frankie Montas deep in the third inning. Playing time has been generally sporadic for Carpenter since he returned from an oblique injury, as Alec Burleson's strong hitting has made him a priority to be in the lineup. Carpenter is batting .250 with four RBI, four runs scored and a 5:13 BB:K over 42 plate appearances as an option at designated hitter.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Losing work to Burleson
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
After being activated from the 10-day injured list May 11, Carpenter served as the Cardinals' designated hitter for three straight games. Despite reaching base six times in 15 plate appearances during that stretch, Carpenter looks like he'll have to settle for a part-time role with the Cardinals having since reprioritized Alec Burleson at designated hitter. Carpenter is on the bench Wednesday for the fifth time in the last six games.
St. Louis activated Carpenter (oblique) from the 10-day injured list prior to Saturday's game against the Brewers.
Jose Fermin had been leading off against lefties, but with the Cardinals set to face three right-handed starters in a row, Fermin was sent to Triple-A Memphis, and the lefty-hitting Carpenter was added to the active roster. The 38-year-old designated hitter went 3-for-10 with a run scored in three games before getting injured April 1.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Expected back Saturday
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Carpenter (oblique) is on track to rejoin the Cardinals on Saturday in Milwaukee, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.
Carpenter will play in one more rehab game with Triple-A Memphis on Friday before a likely return to the big club. Out since early April with a right oblique strain, Carpenter has gone 4-for-17 with two homers in his first five rehab contests. Upon his activation, Carpenter could see some starts at designated hitter versus righties for an offense that's desperately looking for a spark.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Could remain out until next week
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Tuesday that Carpenter's (oblique) rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis could be extended through the weekend, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Carpenter had a couple potential rehab games with Double-A Springfield rained out, so the team would like to see him make up for that lost time. Barring a setback, Carpenter could be activated from the 10-day injured list early next week, when the Cardinals are on the road playing the Angels.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Moves rehab to Memphis
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Carpenter (oblique) will shift his rehab assignment to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Carpenter kicked off his minor-league assignment with Double-A Springfield on Friday and appeared in two games over the weekend, going 1-for-6 with a walk, two runs and an RBI. The 38-year-old has been on the injured list since April 2 with a right oblique strain, but once he's activated, he could push Alec Burleson for the Cardinals' primary designated-hitter gig.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Begins rehab assignment
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Carpenter (oblique) has been sent to Double-A Springfield to begin a rehab assignment.
What would have been Carpenter's first rehab game was rained out Thursday, but he's been cleared for game action after missing the last month with a right oblique strain. It's not clear how many rehab at-bats the 38-year-old will need before being activated. Once he does return, he'll give the Cardinals another option at designated hitter.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Nearing rehab assignment
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Carpenter (oblique) could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Carpenter has progressed well since being given an injection for his right oblique strain a week ago, having taken a couple rounds of batting practice without issue. It sounds like he might be ready for activation within the next week or so.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Resumes swinging
Rotowire
Carpenter (oblique) took swings on the field before Friday's game against the Mets, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Carpenter had been shut down after receiving a PRP injection in his right oblique Monday. He will swing again before Saturday's game, at which point the Cardinals will decide whether or not to send the 38-year-old veteran out on a rehab assignment.
