MLB Player News

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-2 loss to Atlanta.

The veteran slugger only has seven homers on the year, but three of them have come in the last seven games. Carpenter's .210/.327/.381 slash line and 15 RBI through 49 games are well below expectations, but a shift down to fifth in the order behind the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna might be just what he needs to kick-start his production.

Turner was pulled early from Friday night's game against the Pirates for rest purposes, and he's not expected to play Saturday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Turner is just 3-for-19 with a pair of RBI over his last seven games, so perhaps skipper Dave Roberts has sensed that his starting third baseman needs a day or two to rest. Max Muncy could draw the start at third base Saturday, which would open up a slot for David Freese at first.

Cabrera went 2-for-2 with two walks, a home run and two RBI in Friday's 9-8 win over the Mets.

Cabrera's batting a robust .306 with a .381 on-base percentage, but this was just the second home run of the season for the veteran. His .387 slugging percentage would be a career worst, though Cabrera certainly seems to be seeing the ball well and could start to string together some extra-base hits. He had a .448 slugging percentage last year before getting shut down with a biceps injury.

Belt isn't in Friday's starting lineup against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt will take a seat with the lefty Robbie Ray set to toe the rubber for the opposition. Tyler Austin draws the start at first base and will bat cleanup in Belt's absence.

Blackmon (calf) won't play Friday against the Orioles, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

As expected, Blackmon will take a seat Friday as he continues to battle a calf issue. "He's feeling better, but is still sore," stated skipper Bud Black. "This is truly day-to-day, there's still no timetable of when we think he's going to be in the lineup."

Pederson is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.

Pederson will sit against a right-hander for the second time this week, though it once again is the result of the opposing team using an opener. Matt Beaty will start in left field and bat leadoff Friday.

Martinez (back/illness) is back in the lineup for Friday's game against the Astros, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Martinez missed four games in a row with an illness and a sore back. He'll bat fourth as the cleanup hitter Friday.

Brantley is not in the lineup Friday against Boston, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley hits the bench after making 13 straight starts. George Springer returns from his back injury in right field, pushing Josh Reddick to left, though Brantley should continue to play a regular role as the Astros use the designated hitter spot to make room for their outfield depth.

Carpenter is starting at third base and batting fifth Friday against the Braves.

Carpenter has led off for the Cardinals in all but one of his 45 starts this season -- he also batted third May 2 -- but drops to fifth Friday after slashing .162/.295/.378 in his last 11 games. Manager Mike Shildt said earlier in May he was sticking with the 33-year-old at the top of the order for the time being, but Dexter Fowler and his .413 OBP will enter the leadoff spot Friday. It's been a season-long struggle for the veteran third baseman, as Carpenter's .686 OPS would be the worst of his career for a full season by a significant margin.

Dickerson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right wrist Friday.

Dickerson apparently sustained the injury in Sunday's game against the Pirates, as he hasn't played since and the move is retroactive to Monday. The 28-year-old has no official timeline for his return and the severity of the sprain remains unclear, but he'll be eligible to be activated May 31.