13 Matt Carpenter 3B

Carpenter presents as a potentially ideal designated hitter candidate if the position is instituted universally for the abbreviated 2020 regular season, Will Laws of SI.com reports.

Laws makes a case for one DH candidate for every National League team, and Carpenter gets his nod on the Cardinals for a couple of reasons. One is the fact that slotting in the veteran at DH would allow him to solely focus on fixing the offensive side of his game after he slumped to a .226/.334/.392 line across 492 plate appearances in 2019. Another is that removing Carpenter from the defensive equation would allow Tommy Edman to potentially slot in at third base on an everyday basis, which would in turn possibly lead to more outfield playing time for a promising prospect like Lane Thomas. Last season notwithstanding, Carpenter's past body of work lends credence to the notion he could thrive in a DH capacity, as he racked up a career-best 78 extra-base hits (42 doubles, 36 home runs) and .523 slugging percentage in 2018.

Carpenter had some encouraging at-bats over the last two Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hummel notes Carpenter drew three walks and slugged an opposite-field home run off the Mets' Jacob deGrom in his last five plate appearances before play was paused. The round tripper was especially noteworthy, not only because it came against a two-time Cy Young award winner, but because the veteran had been focusing on hitting the ball the other way all spring after frequently falling victim to the shift during a 2019 season in which he hit just .226. Hummel also reports Carpenter appeared to be much more confident this spring despite hitting just .235 (4-for-17) during eight Grapefruit League contests, and that the 34-year-old should have a chance to see more standard defensive alignments as a No. 2 hitter whenever projected leadoff man and stolen-base threat Kolten Wong gets on base ahead of him.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a Grapefruit League tie against the Mets on Thursday.

Carpenter struggled with some relatively minor back issues earlier in Grapefruit League play, but he's subsequently been able to suit up for three games without issues. The two-run round tripper Thursday was Carpenter's third spring hit and first of the extra-base variety. The veteran is looking to rebound from an injury-shortened and sub-par season in 2019, one that saw him generate the second-lowest batting average (.226), on-base percentage (.334) and slugging percentage (.392) of his career.

Carpenter (back) will start at third base and bat third in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A bout of back tightness kept Carpenter out of the lineup for the Cardinals' previous four spring games, but the veteran gained clearance to rejoin the starting nine after he was able to complete full workouts over the weekend without incident. Before his brief shutdown, Carpenter had made two starts this spring, going 2-for-4 at the dish.

Carpenter (back) will be in the lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter was previously expected to rejoin the lineup sometime this weekend, but he's instead been taking batting practice and fielding ground balls. Regardless, it doesn't appear the back issue will impact the veteran infielder's availability for Opening Day, barring a setback.

Carpenter (back) is not in the lineup for Sunday's spring game against the Astros, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat.

Manager Mike Shildt indicated Friday that Carpenter could return to the lineup this weekend, but it turns out that will not be the case. Carpenter should not be out much longer and could resume playing at some point in the coming days.

Manager Mike Shildt said he expects Carpenter (back) to rejoin the lineup "Sunday-ish," Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The veteran infielder was previously expected to return to action Saturday, but the team will continue to take a conservative approach with his recovery. Carpenter hasn't suffered any setbacks and is expected to take batting practice Friday, which figures to be one of the final hurdles before he's officially cleared.

Carpenter (back) completed a full-body workout and ran sprints Thursday, Jeff Jones of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter was scratched from the lineup ahead of Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins after experiencing back tightness, but his removal looks to have been strictly precautionary. The Cardinals' training staff was satisfied with how he looked after re-evaluating him Thursday, leaving Carpenter optimistic that he'll be ready to play Saturday against the Nationals. He's expected to take batting practice Friday as a final test of his health before drawing back into the spring lineup.

Carpenter (back) called his removal from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins "super preventative" and expects to be back in the lineup Saturday, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

Carpenter's absence appears to be little more than early spring caution. The veteran did make a trip to the injured list last July with a lower-back strain, however, so it's somewhat worrisome that he's already dealing with back issues again.

Carpenter was removed from Wednesday's split-squad spring game against the Marlins due to back tightness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

This explains why Nolan Gorman replaced Carpenter in the starting lineup shortly before first pitch. The veteran infielder should be considered day-to-day.

Carpenter was removed from Wednesday's split-squad spring game against the Marlins, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The reason behind Carpenter's late scratch is not yet known, but well-regarded 19-year-old Nolan Gorman replaced the veteran in the starting lineup.

Carpenter will sit again for the fourth game of the NLCS against the Nationals on Tuesday.

Carpenter has gone just 1-for-12 at the plate thus far in the playoffs. Jose Martinez will again get the nod in right field, pushing Tommy Edman to third base.

Carpenter is not in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS against the Nationals on Monday.

Carpenter went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts over the first two games of the series, but should be available as a pinch hitter as he was for much of the NLDS. Tommy Edman will shift to third base with Jose Martinez starting in right field.

Carpenter is starting at third base and batting sixth in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Braves on Sunday, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

Carpenter was on the bench for the first two games of the series and delivered an RBI single in his Game 1 pinch-hit appearance. The veteran infielder struggled with a .726 OPS for the season, but he came on strong in the back half of September with an .889 OPS in his last 11 games.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's victory over Chicago.

Carpenter connected for a three-run shot to right field in the third inning to contribute to the division-clinching win. The 33-year-old finished in ninth place in NL MVP voting last year but largely disappointed in 2019, concluding the season with a .226/.334/.392 slash line along with 15 homers, 46 RBI and 129 strikeouts in 492 plate appearances.

Carpenter went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 8-2 loss to the Cubs.

Carpenter's blast came off Cubs starter Alec Mills in the fourth inning. Carpenter also reached after getting hit by a pitch in the seventh. The infielder has 14 homers, 43 RBI and 58 runs scored this season, but he's managed only a .228/.337/.390 slash line in 127 games.

Carpenter is starting at third base Sunday for the third straight day.

Starts have been few and far between for Carpenter in September, but he has gotten a chance to see regular at-bats this weekend with Kolten Wong (hamstring) sidelined. Carpenter will play third base Sunday and hit sixth in the Cardinals' batting order.

Carpenter came into Thursday's extra-inning win over the Cubs as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the fifth inning and went 1-for-2 with a go-ahead solo home run in the 10th inning.

Carpenter launched a one-out, 431-foot solo shot to center off Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel in the top of the 10th inning, snapping a 6-6 tie with a blast that would end up being the difference in the game. Manager Mike Shildt confirmed earlier in the week that Carpenter was keeping a positive mindset despite riding the pine frequently in recent games, and Thursday's homer, his first since Aug. 25, seems to bear out that the 33-year-old is keeping himself mentally ready.

Carpenter has been a healthy scratch over the Cardinals' last four games, his longest such stretch of non-injury-related inactivity this season, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "He continues to be a really good teammate," said manager Mike Shildt, who had a conversation Monday with Carpenter. "He feels really good about where he's at with his swing and where he's at with his game. I applaud the fact (that) I know he wants to be in there every day."

Carpenter is sporting career worsts (when factoring out his initial seven-game big-league cup of coffee in 2011) across his .225/.333/.378 line this season, so his declining playing time in the midst of a postseason push isn't necessarily surprising. Shildt's comments indicate the Cardinals' skipper is well attuned to the adverse effects a multi-game benching could have on the mindset of a prideful veteran, but it appears the 33-year-old is keeping a positive mindset overall during his demotion.

Carpenter is not starting Friday against the Brewers.

The veteran third baseman will head to the bench for the third time in four contests as Tommy Edman receives another start at the hot corner. Carpenter has been better with a .995 OPS in his last 16 games, but he seems unlikely to retake the starting role with Edman also playing well over that stretch.