MLB Player News

The Cardinals placed Carpenter on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right oblique strain, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter's move to the injured list is retroactive to Tuesday, so he will be eligible to return beginning April 12. The 38-year-old has played in just three of St. Louis' seven games so far, but losing him is another hit to the Cardinals' depth, as the team is already dealing with a handful of injuries to begin the year. Pedro Pages was recalled from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move.

The Astros claimed Hummel off waivers from the Giants on Thursday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The versatile Hummel is capable of catching and also playing the corner outfield spots. He has collected a .551 OPS over 76 games in parts of two seasons in the majors. Hummel has a minor-league option remaining, so Houston should report to Triple-A Sugar Land rather than stick around at the big-league level.

Soler went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Soler has powered up with homers in back-to-back games, and he has an RBI in each of the last three contests. The slugger is 7-for-25 (.280) with a 5:6 BB:K through seven games this season. Soler displayed better plate discipline with a 24.3 percent strikeouts rate and an 11.6 percent walk rate in 2023, but it's possible he could build on those marks in 2024. His playing time as the Giants' designated hitter has been steady, so he should continue to be heavily involved in run production.

Kjerstad went 5-for-7 with two home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI and two additional runs Wednesday in Triple-A Norfolk's 26-11 win over Charlotte.

The Norfolk roster features four of the top position prospects in baseball in Kjerstad, Jackson Holliday, Connor Norby and Coby Mayo, and the quartet lived up to its billing Wednesday in a rout of Charlotte. Kjerstad led the way with five hits and 10 RBI, but Holliday, Norby and Mayo combined for 11 hits and six RBI while No. 5 batter Kyle Stowers chipped in two home runs and seven RBI of his own. On the heels of his blistering performance at the dish, Kjerstad now owns a monstrous 1.785 OPS over five games for Norfolk on the season.

McCutchen is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Nationals.

He will yield to Connor Joe at designated hitter against right-hander Josiah Gray. McCutchen is 3-for-16 with a 9:4 K:BB across his first 21 plate appearances this season.

Winker (illness) will start in left field and bat sixth in Thursday's game versus the Pirates.

Winker has dealt with an illness this week but is feeling well enough to play Thursday. It's a bit of a surprise he's in the lineup at all since the Pirates are starting lefty Martin Perez, and the left-handed hitting Winker has a career .657 OPS versus southpaws.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Thursday that Martinez could join the Mets as soon as next week for their series in Atlanta, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Martinez has been working out at extended spring training but will be assigned to a minor-league affiliate as soon as Friday. The designated hitter won't be added to the 26-man roster when first eligible Sunday, and it's not a given either that he'll be activated for the four-game series in Atlanta that begins Monday. The Mets' decision on whether to make Martinez available in Atlanta will probably depend on how he looks and feels during his at-bats in the minors. Whenever he's ready, Martinez will take over as the Mets' everyday designated hitter, pushing DJ Stewart to a bench role.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a 5-4 win against the Giants on Wednesday.

Ohtani had gone homerless over his first eight games with Los Angeles before smashing a 430-foot solo shot in the seventh inning Wednesday to supply his team with a critical insurance run. It was the two-way star's fourth extra-base hit among his 10 total knocks this season, and the long ball produced his fourth RBI. Though he hasn't come blazing out of the gates in his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani has slashed a respectable .270/.317/.432 and has benefitted from the club's robust offense by scoring seven runs through nine games.

Alvarez went 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's 8-0 win against the Blue Jays.

Alvarez came into the contest mired in a 3-for-24 slump to begin the season, but he turned things around in a big way Wednesday. The 26-year-old drilled a solo shot to center field in the third inning for his first homer of the campaign, added an RBI double in the fourth, then went deep with a second solo shot in the sixth. Alvarez is aiming for his fourth straight season of 30-plus homers after averaging 33.7 long balls over the previous three campaigns.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and two RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs.

Blackmon helped ignite Colorado's offense from the top of the lineup, logging his second straight three-hit game out of the leadoff spot. The veteran outfielder has looked rejuvenated to begin the campaign, slashing .417/.440/.625 with five RBI through six games. He's yet to go deep but has four extra-base hits among his 10 overall knocks, and -- perhaps most impressively -- he's yet to strike out across 24 plate appearances.