13 Matt Carpenter 2B

Carpenter went 1-for-2 with a two-RBI triple and a walk during Monday's 5-3 win at San Francisco.

The veteran infielder brought home the first runs of the contest during the seventh inning with a two-run triple, which is his first three-bagger of the season. Carpenter has a .182/.314/.311 slash line with three homers, 19 RBI and 12 runs in 159 plate appearances this season.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Rockies on Sunday.

Carpenter drew the start at second base and operated out of the cleanup spot, and he came through with one of only two multi-hit efforts for the Cardinals on the day. The veteran hadn't managed more than a single hit in a contest since May 30, and although he's shown some modest signs of life at the plate during his scant opportunities in recent weeks, his season average remains an abysmal .177 across 156 plate appearances.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader with Atlanta.

The lefty-hitting Carpenter will be on the bench for the fourth time in six games, despite a right-hander (Bryse Wilson) being on the hill for Atlanta. Carpenter is no lock to rejoin the lineup for the nightcap with southpaw Drew Smyly starting for Atlanta, and at this point, the 35-year-old may have lost out on primary duties at the keystone to Edmundo Sosa.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Carpenter isn't lighting the world on fire with a .764 OPS through his first 11 games of June, but the improved production at the plate is good enough to guarantee him a regular starting role at second base for the time being. The Cardinals could still choose to withhold the lefty-hitting Carpenter from the lineup against southpaws, which will be the case Monday with lefty Braxton Garrett on the hill for Miami. Edmundo Sosa will get the nod at the keystone, ending a streak of five consecutive starts for Carpenter.

Carpenter is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with five doubles, six RBI, three walks and two runs across his last 10 games.

The veteran's latest taste of offensive success came Wednesday against Cleveland, when he laced a first-inning bases-loaded double that plated all three runners. It was Carpenter's second multi-RBI effort of the last three contests, and he's managed to raise his average 51 points to .184 during the aforementioned 10-game stretch. Carpenter's on-base percentage has now climbed to .319 as well thanks in large part to his 14.3 percent walk rate, and he's drawn starts in six games during his hot streak.

Carpenter entered Sunday's loss to the Reds in the sixth inning as a pinch hitter, lacing a two-run double and scoring a run in one plate appearance.

The veteran is slowly but surely starting to string some success together at the plate, as he's now reached safely in four consecutive games. Carpenter's gradual surge actually dates further back, as he's slashing .304/.385/.522 with five doubles, three RBI, three walks and three runs across the 26 plate appearances he's logged in the last 11 contests.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

Carpenter had started each of the Cardinals' last three games -- twice at second base and once at first base -- but he'll take a seat in the series finale while Tommy Edman returns to the keystone. Edman could end up seeing more time in right field for the foreseeable future while both Harrison Bader (rib) and Justin Williams (neck) are on the injured list, so Carpenter could have a path to semi-regular work at second base in the short term.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with two doubles in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Operating out of the leadoff spot for the first time all season, Carpenter came through with his second and third doubles of his last two starts. The struggling veteran has actually boosted his batting average 38 points with his pair of multi-hit efforts in that span, but his season slash line still sits at an unacceptable .151/.292/.304 across 96 plate appearances.

Carpenter served as the designated hitter in an interleague loss to the White Sox on Tuesday and went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run.

It's a testament to how difficult the 2021 season has been for Carpenter that Tuesday's production resulted in both his first double and first multi-hit effort of the campaign. The struggling veteran did not make the starting nine for Wednesday's matinee against Chicago, but he did draw back-to-back starts -- the former at first base -- in the first two games of the series.

Carpenter is slashing .100/.280/.100 with only two singles and five walks over the 25 plate appearances covering his 12 game appearances in May.

The struggling veteran had shown a burst of life by homering in back-to-back games as a pinch hitter to close out April, but that proved to be just a flash of success that quickly vanished. Carpenter has drawn only four starts during the current month, and with good reason -- he currently seems incapable of snapping out of a funk that dates back to the beginning of the 2020 campaign. Carpenter's .111 BABIP certainly isn't helping, but both a 54.1 percent flyball rate and career-worst 32.5 percent strikeout rate are equal culprits. Ironically, Carpenter's most impressive performance to date in May came on the mound Saturday night against the Padres -- the 35-year-old fired 1.1 scoreless innings during which he allowed just a pair of singles to close out the blowout loss.

Carpenter blasted a pinch-hit three-run home run in Friday's 7-3 win over the Pirates.

Carpenter has now homered as a pinch hitter in each of the last two contests, as he provided the Cardinals with some insurance with his three-run shot in the top of the sixth inning Friday. The 35-year-old hasn't started in any of the last five games and is now hitting .116 with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs this season.

Carpenter slugged a pinch-hit three-run home run in Thursday's win over the Phillies.

Carpenter turned a one-run deficit into a two-run lead with a long ball off Aaron Nola, the veteran's second homer this season. The batted-ball numbers point to a lot of bad luck for Carpenter early on, but the lack of production has eaten into his time regardless. His last start for St. Louis was back on April 23.

Carpenter is not in Sunday's lineup against the Reds, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Carpenter saw an increase in playing time as Tommy Edman was forced to play in the outfield regularly due to injuries. However, the return of Tyler O'Neill has allowed Edman to return to second base on a regular basis, cutting into Carpenter's playing time.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Tommy Edman will move from right field to second base while Carpenter heads to the bench for only the second time in seven games. With Tyler O'Neill (groin) and Harrison Bader (forearm) both on the injured list, Edman will be needed in the outfield more frequently in the short term, so Carpenter should see steady work at second base. The veteran is sitting on a .419 OPS and 35.9 percent strikeout rate through 39 plate appearances, but a 26.3 percent barrel rate and 68.4 percent hard-hit rate -- both which rank in the top one percent of all players -- suggest that better days could be ahead for Carpenter.

Carpenter will start at second base and bat fifth Sunday against the Phillies, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter moved to the bench for Saturday's 9-4 win over the Phillies, but he'll be back in the lineup for the fifth time in six games Sunday. With Tommy Edman having logged more time in right field of late due to injuries to Harrison Bader (forearm) and Tyler O'Neill (groin), Carpenter appears to have seized hold of an everyday role at the keystone.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Nationals.

Carpenter started his second consecutive game at second base, with Tommy Edman shifting to right field to cover for several injuries. He made his one hit count, taking Stephen Strasburg yard in the third inning for a two-run homer. It was Carpenter's first long ball of the season and his first real production at the plate, as he entered the game having collected just one hit in his first 14 at-bats of the campaign.

Carpenter will start at second base and bat fifth Wednesday against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt may have cut bait with the platoon of Justin Williams and Austin Dean in right field, as Tommy Edman will cover the position for the second day in a row. Edman's move to the outfield will open up the keystone for Carpenter, who picked up his first start in Tuesday's 4-2 win. He went hitless in three at-bats to continue his rough stretch at the plate that has lasted since spring training, but Shildt looks like he may give the veteran the chance to work his way out of the prolonged slump. Carpenter is helped by the fact that Williams and Dean have combined to go 0-for-17 with 10 strikeouts so far this season.

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt confirmed Sunday that Carpenter will begin the season as a reserve after Tommy Edman was named St. Louis' everyday second baseman, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

St. Louis may have considered giving Edman more work in the corner outfield if Carpenter had swung a hot bat this spring, but that failed to materialize. Instead, the 35-year-old has gotten off to a 1-for-34 start to the Grapefruit League slate heading into Sunday's game against the Nationals, effectively ending any hope Carpenter had of beginning the season as a full-time player. Carpenter should still have a decent chance at cracking the lineup when the Cardinals are playing in an American League park, or when Edman, Nolan Arenado or Paul Goldschmidt require a day out of the field.

Carpenter is hitting .033 (1-for-30) with one RBI, seven walks, 13 strikeouts and a run over 14 Grapefruit League games.

Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Carpenter isn't in danger of missing out on the Opening Day roster despite his abysmal spring performance, especially considering he's due $18.5 million this coming season and the fact he isn't taking up a starting spot. Hummel also notes Carpenter's left-handed bat and defensive versatility are two other factors in his favor for the time being, but he adds it would naturally behoove the veteran to get off to a productive start after the type of spring he's had and in light of his pedestrian .216/.332/.372 line over the last two seasons.

Carpenter is 0-for-8 with two walks and four strikeouts across his first four Grapefruit League games.

It's certainly early and the sample is therefore small, but Carpenter's struggles are an unfortunate development with respect to his bid for regular playing time to start the season. Manager Mike Shildt has gone on record with his desire to try and keep the 35-year-old's bat in the lineup as much as possible despite the fact Nolan Arenado is now entrenched at the hot corner. Nevertheless, Carpenter has plenty to prove after generating a combined .216/.332/.372 line across 661 plate appearances over the last two seasons, and with the designated hitter currently not in the National League's 2021 plans, he could have a difficult time getting consistent at-bats even if he shows marked improvement over the balance of spring training.