Matt Carpenter Homers In First Game Back From Injury
St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Matt Carpenter (back) was responsible for his team's only runs of Tuesday's ballgame, as the Cards lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2. Carpenter came on as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, hitting a clutch two-run homer off Nick Mears. This was Carpenter's first game back after being activated off the 10-day injured list. Carpenter, who spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Cardinals before leaving and then returning, will hope to provide an offensive boost to the team's lineup down the stretch.
Matt Carpenter, Luken Baker Added To Cardinals Roster
The St. Louis Cardinals added designated hitter Matt Carpenter (lower back strain), and first baseman/designated hitter Luken Baker to the roster on Tuesday. Carpenter was on the injured list, while Baker was recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Carpenter is hitting .255/.331/.382 with three homers, 11 RBI, and 13 runs scored, while Baker was hitting .231/.345/.535 with 32 homers, 71 RBI, and 54 runs scored with Rochester. While Carpenter won't have much fantasy value, Baker's power makes him a very intriguing waiver-wire addition, especially in deeper league formats.
The St. Louis Cardinals placed designated hitter Matt Carpenter (back) on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain ahead of Monday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Carpenter hasn't played much recently, as he has started just one game since July 31. The veteran has been used primarily as a DH this season, which has limited his at-bats in 2024. The 38-year-old is batting just .255 with three home runs, five doubles, and 11 RBI across 42 games this year. In his place, outfielder Jordan Walker will take his place on the active roster.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman/designated hitter Matt Carpenter (oblique) will serve as the DH for Triple-A Memphis on Friday on his minor-league rehab assignment, and he said if everything goes well, he will join the Cardinals in Milwaukee on Saturday for their weekend series against the division-rival Brewers. In five rehab games on the farm, the 38-year-old veteran left-handed hitter has gone 4-for-17 with two home runs, so he appears to be swinging the bat well. He has been sidelined since early April with a right-oblique strain. When he's back in St. Louis, he's merely going to be a lefty bat off the bench who can occasional start as the DH against right-handed pitching. The three-time All-Star should only be rostered in deep NL-only fantasy leagues.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman/designated hitter Matt Carpenter (oblique) is moving his minor-league rehab assignment to Triple-A Memphis, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Memphis was off on Monday and will return to action on Tuesday. In two games with Double-A Springfield over the weekend, Carpenter went 1-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. The 38-year-old veteran has been on the injured list since April 2 with a right-oblique strain. The three-time All-Star is getting close to a return to the major-league lineup, but he offers virtually zero upside for those playing fantasy after slashing .176/.322/.319 with five home runs and 31 RBI in 76 games last year with the San Diego Padres. At best, he'll be an option at DH for the Cardinals against right-handed pitching when he returns.
St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Matt Carpenter (oblique) received a platelet-rich injection on Monday for his strained right oblique, according to manager Oliver Marmol. The plan is for Carpenter to have three days of no activity followed by hitting coach thrown batting practice and then machine work before they look at getting him live at-bats. The 38-year-old veteran had three hits in 10 at-bats over three games at the beginning of the season before getting hurt and landing on the injured list. When healthy, Carpenter will strictly be a bench bat and a DH option for the Cards when they are facing right-handed pitching. In 76 games with the San Diego Padres in 2023, he slashed a miserable .176/.322/.319 with five home runs and 31 RBI.
St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter (oblique) is currently traveling with the team during their three-game series against the Oakland Athletics, and he took infield practice in Arizona this past weekend. Carpenter was put on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right oblique ahead of April 4's game against the Miami Marlins, and it would appear that a return in late April could be in the cards. After signing a two-year deal this past offseason with the team that drafted him, the 38-year-old former All-Star made St. Louis' Opening Day roster following a strong spring that saw him hit .346 (9-for-26) with five doubles, one home run, and five RBI in 13 outings. He figures to serve as the Cards' primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching upon his eventual return, but there's no clear-cut fantasy beneficiary of his absence at this time.
St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Matt Carpenter has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. Catcher Pedro Pages has been called from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. The veteran returned to the organization where he enjoyed his most productive seasons for the 2024 campaign and is 3-for-10 (.300) with a run scored through his first 11 plate appearances on the young season. After a resurgent season with the Yankees in 2022, Carpenter hit just .176 with five homers across 76 appearances with the Padres in the 2023 season. Alec Burleson is likely to handle everyday designated hitter duties in Carpenter's absence.
Matt Carpenter Scratched From Grapefruit League Lineup
St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Matt Carpenter (wrist) was scratched from the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Monday due to a bruised left wrist after being hit by a pitch in a previous game over the weekend. Carpenter's injury doesn't sound very serious, but the Cardinals will take it easy on the 38-year-old left-hander for a day or two. Carpenter essentially became a bench coach for the San Diego Padres last year after hitting just .176/.322/.319 with five home runs, 31 RBI and 67 strikeouts in 237 plate appearances over 76 games played. It was a big disappointment after he hit 15 home runs in 2022 with the Yankees before getting hurt. It's unlikely at this point that Carpenter will have a resurgence as he returns to St. Louis.
Free-agent designated hitter Matt Carpenter has agreed to a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday that is worth $740,000, according to a source. The Atlanta Braves will be responsible for the remainder of his $5.5 million guarantee. The 38-year-old Carpenter was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the 13th round in 2009 and spent the first 11 years of his career with the team, including being named to the All-Star team three times. It was a rough year for him with the San Diego Padres in 2023, though, slashing .176/.322/.319 with five homers and 31 RBI in 76 games as mostly a veteran bat off the bench. He was traded to the Braves earlier this winter before being released. Carpenter will probably sit the bench most of the time while occasionally serving as the team's DH against right-handed pitching.