MLB Player News

Carpenter is not in the lineup for Saturday's matchup with the Pirates.

Carpenter was removed from Thursday's game late due to a jammed finger, but homered in his return to the lineup Friday and there is no indication the finger is behind his absence Saturday. It's likely the case of facing southpaw Francisco Liriano, as Jedd Gyorko will replace Carpenter at second base and bat eighth for the Cardinals. The Pirates send another lefty to the mound Sunday, so it's possible he will receive back-to-back days off.

Carpenter (finger) went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead three-run homer, two walks and two runs scored in Friday's 9-3 victory over the Pirates.

The leadoff man hit the go-ahead blast in the eighth inning off reliever Neftali Feliz, plating Eric Fryer and Greg Garcia to give St. Louis a 3-2 lead. Carpenter's bat has been on fire since late May, as he's reached safely in nine of his last 10 games. He's also slashing .367/.486/.633 over 30 June at-bats, and already has five doubles and seven RBI this month as well.

Carpenter (finger) is in the lineup Friday after leaving Thursday's game with a jammed finger.

Carpenter sustained the injury during the eighth inning of Thursday's game and was forced to leave the contest shortly after. For Friday's outing, he is slotted into the leadoff spot and will play second base. Carpenter is currently on a six-game hit streak while batting .346/.452/.538 with four RBI in the month of June and hasn't missed a start since May 27.

Ozuna banged out three singles and a double in five at-bats Thursday against Minnesota, driving in three runs and scoring another.

After cooling off for a while, Ozuna exploded in this series against the sad-sack Twins -- particularly in the last two games, in which he's provided six hits and five RBI. With the Marlins heading to hitter-friendly Arizona and scheduled to miss Zack Greinke, he's got a great chance to keep the hot streak going. The harsh reality that he simply isn't this good will come for him at some point, but until then, we may as well enjoy the ride as he cruises toward a likely spot on the National League All-Star team.

Carpenter exited Thursday's game in the eighth inning with a jammed finger, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

According to Goold, Carpenter jammed a finger during his last at-bat of the game Thursday and manager Mike Matheny was uncertain about his ability to make a throw when the Cardinals took the field for the bottom of the eighth. Greg Garcia came on as Carpenter's replacement at second base. If Carpenter is held out of the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Pirates, Garcia or Jedd Gyorko could take over at second base.

Belt went 1-for-3 with a home run in Wednesday night's 2-1 victory over the Red Sox.

Belt splashed an 0-1 pitch into McCovey Cove for the 69th by a Giants player and first since he did so in September 2014. His blast off a David Price's hanging curveball was Belt's seventh of the season. The first baseman is on pace to challenge the 20-homer mark, a feat he has yet to accomplish in his five MLB seasons.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI in Wednesday's road loss to Minnesota, ending an eight-game skid in which he'd gone just 2-for-26 (.077).

Even that slump couldn't take too much of the shine off the big stats Ozuna's delivered for the Marlins and fantasy owners this year. That said, there's reason for fantasy owners to exercise caution with -- or even sell high on -- the 25-year-old outfielder. Aside from a slight spike in fly-ball rate (which does lend itself to an increase in homers), there's little in Ozuna's statistical profile to suggest that he's grown into a different player from the one who hit .265/.311/.416 over his first three MLB campaigns. That .365 BABIP will continue falling down to normality, leaving us with more or less the same Ozuna that we've come to know in past seasons.

Pederson is out of the lineup against the Rockies on Wednesday.

Pederson will sit for the second time in this three game series as Scott Van Slyke will start in right field Wednesday. With the Rockies pitching left-hander Chris Rusin, manager Dave Roberts only placed one left-handed hitter (Adrian Gonzalez) in the starting lineup. Pederson will likely be back in the lineup against the Giants on Friday.

Stanton went 0-for-5 with one RBI in his return to the lineup Tuesday.

The slugger's struggles continue as his season line has dropped to .197/.310/.439 through 48 games. The power numbers are passable (12 homers and 28 RBI over 173 at-bats), but it is difficult to characterize Stanton's first two months as anything other than a disappointment. Of course, we've seen him break out of similar slumps in the past with unparalleled hot stretches, so owners need to stay patient and let the perennial All-Star figure things out at the dish. Cutting down on his current 34.5 percent strikeout rate, which easily represents the worst rate of his career, would be a great place to start.

McCutchen went 2-for-8 with a double in Tuesday's twin bill against the Mets. He also struck out four times.

McCutchen is wearing a guard to protect his thumb, but it's obvious he's less than 100 percent at the plate. In a perfect world, the team would rest the center fielder for at least a couple games. Starling Marte's absence from the lineup makes that scenario unlikely, however. McCutchen has struck out two times in each of the last four games and holds a .759 OPS -- the lowest mark of his career.