MLB Player News
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Carpenter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Houston.
Carpenter has been seeing regular playing time at designated hitter against right-handers since Lars Nootbaar (oblique) went on the injured list, with Alec Burleson covering Nootbaar's usual spot in right field. However, Carpenter will begin Wednesday's game on the bench, as Ivan Herrera will be in the DH slot versus Astros righty Ronel Blanco.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Three more hits Tuesday
Machado went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Angels.
Machado notched his first three-hit game of the year and managed to swipe a base for a second straight game. He drove in the Padres' first run of the game in the third, which makes it four RBI over his last five games. He's been extremely locked in at the plate over the last few weeks, slashing .344/.420/.492 with nine RBI, seven runs and an 8:11 BB:K in 69 plate appearances since May 19.
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Alec Burleson LF | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Goes yard again
Burleson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the Astros.
Burleson's gone deep in three straight games after a stretch of 12 contests without a homer. He continues to look ready for an everyday role, which has come at a convenient time with the Cardinals missing Lars Nootbaar (oblique) and Tommy Edman (wrist). Burleson is up to a .276/.308/.448 slash line with eight homers, 22 RBI, 17 runs scored, two stolen bases and six doubles over 182 plate appearances this season.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Sitting versus southpaw
Pederson is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants.
It's Arizona's fourth straight game against a left-handed starting pitcher, and Pederson will end up having started just one of those contests. The veteran slugger is mired in a 4-for-23 slump over his past eight games. Blaze Alexander will bat eighth as the designated hitter Tuesday.
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Nick Martini LF | CIN
Reds' Nick Martini: Sent down to Triple-A
Martini was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.
Martini will move to Louisville despite batting .258 with a home run and seven runs scored over nine games upon being called up from Triple-A on May 22. He'll be replaced on the active roster by outfielder Blake Dunn, whose contract was selected from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Cleared by MLB
Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it has cleared Ohtani, closed its investigation and considers him "a victim of fraud" at the hands of his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges Tuesday, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, and MLB considers the mattered settled given the "thoroughness of the federal investigation." Ohtani has continued to produce as an MVP candidate despite the background noise and has 14 home runs, 14 steals and a .322/.392/.596 slash line through 58 games this season.
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Alec Burleson LF | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Homers in back-to-back games
Burleson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Astros.
This was Burleson's second straight game with a homer after he went 12 contests without one. The 25-year-old is up to seven homers through 51 contests in 2024, one long ball shy of matching his total from 107 games last year. He's added a reliable .271/.299/.429 slash line with 21 RBI, 16 runs scored and two stolen bases over 177 plate appearances.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Goes deep, swipes bag
Machado went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Angels.
Machado's solo shot in the first inning was the lone run for the Padres in Monday's loss. He was intentionally walked twice and also stole his fourth base of the year. The long ball snapped a brutal 26-game drought since his last homer May 3; during that cold streak, he posted a .591 OPS. Machado is now slashing .242/.307/.372 with 17 extra-base hits and 32 RBI through 244 plate appearances this season.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Getting regular at-bats versus RHPs
Carpenter will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's game against the Astros.
Carpenter has now been included in the lineup in four straight matchups with right-handed pitchers and could settle in as St. Louis' primary DH due to Lars Nootbaar's oblique injury opening up more opportunities in right field for Alec Burleson. Since returning from the injured list May 11 after missing more than five weeks of action with an oblique injury of his own, Carpenter has slashed .176/.300/.294 over 11 games.
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Gary Sanchez C | BAL
Brewers' Gary Sanchez: Taking seat Monday
Sanchez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies.
Sanchez had started at designated hitter or catcher in four of the Brewers' previous five games, but he'll hit the bench for the series opener in Philadelphia. The 31-year-old should still have a fairly clear path to a regular spot in the lineup versus left-handed pitching, but opportunities to start against righties could be harder to come by following Rhys Hoskins' recent return from the injured list.