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On Thursday, Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter went on the disabled list with a strained oblique, which means he'll be unavailable for the upcoming All-Star Game in San Diego. To replace Carpenter on the roster, National League manager Terry Collins has turned to Carpenter's teammate, Cardinals rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz.

Diaz, 25, is batting .319/.382/.534 (142 OPS+) with 12 home runs this season, and he's put up those numbers while having spent 620 1/3 defensive innings at the premium position of shortstop.

In related matters, Diaz becomes just the sixth rookie Cardinal to make the All-Star team and just the second since 1955 ...

Not bad for a player who probably wouldn't even have cracked the big-league roster if not for the injury that Jhonny Peralta suffered in spring training.