MLB Player News

Miller is out of the lineup Sunday against the Astros, freelance Rays writer Roger Mooney reports.

Miller will bow out of the lineup with lefty Dallas Keuchel twirling on the mound for the Astros. He'll give way to Tim Beckham at shortstop.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Reed is "getting closer" to a big league promotion, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Luhnow said "there are certain things that we're definitely looking for that will give us confidence that he's going to consistently deliver up here. But I don't think we're that far away." It's possible Luhnow was referring to Reed's struggles against left-handed pitching (5-for-42 entering Wednesday), as they want him to be a regular in the lineup when he arrives in Houston, not as one-half of a platoon. Tyler White has struggled after a hot start to the season, batting just .172 over the last 30 days and .213 overall. Luhnow also suggested Super Two implications were not a concern regarding Reed's promotion, so expect to see him arrive in Houston in the coming weeks or even days.

Blackmon went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and two runs in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Padres.

The 29-year-old went deep for the first time in June, after closing out May with three homers over two games. Blackmon has actually seen his average drop 20 points this month, but he's still carrying a higher number in that category (.296) than all but one of his previous five seasons. Where Blackmon's production is lagging this season is on the base paths, as he's managed to swipe only four bags after totaling 71 stolen bases over the prior two campaigns.

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.

Miller went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Astros.

The veteran shortstop broke out of an 0-for-9 mini-slump with his second multi-hit outing of June. Miller's early-season struggles, which saw him hitting under the Mendoza Line as recently as May 15, are now firmly behind him. He's seen his average rise 66 points since May 1, and he's posted three homers and 14 RBI over that span as well.

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.

Martinez went 2-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 4-0 loss to the Yankees.

Despite CC Sabathia throughly styming his teammates, Martinez still managed his second consecutive multi-hit game, and third in his last four. He's enjoying his best all-around month to date this season in June, during which he's slashed .313/.361/.500 over 32 at-bats, with three doubles, a homer and eight RBI.

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.