Carpenter (back) was "moving around better" Wednesday according to manager Mike Shildt, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Carpenter has been nursing back tightness since Sunday, but he's progressing toward a return to action in the coming days. Shildt hasn't committed to an exact return date for the veteran infielder, but the goal is to get Carpenter some game action before the team departs Florida on Sunday. The 33-year-old is hitting .179 with three home runs and four RBI over 28 spring at-bats, but he hasn't suited up since Saturday.

The Cardinals don't plan on having Carpenter (back) return to Grapefruit League action until at least Friday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Carpenter first experienced back problems Sunday, resulting in him being scratched ahead of the Cardinals' game against the Marlins. Manager Mike Shild said Monday that he's not concerned about Carpenter's availability for the start of the season, but the team will nonetheless proceed cautiously with the 33-year-old so that the back tightness doesn't become a lingering issue throughout the campaign.

Carpenter (back) isn't included in the Cardinals' lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

Carpenter will get some more time to recover after he was surprisingly scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Marlins due to back tightness. The issue isn't believed to be a major concern or anything that will impact Carpenter's availability for Opening Day, but he could sit out a few more spring contests for precautionary reasons.

Manager Mike Shildt said Carpenter was scratched from Sunday's spring game due to back tightness, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Shildt didn't seem too worried about the issue, and the expectation is that Carpenter will only miss a couple of days before hopefully returning to the lineup. That said, his status will be worth monitoring over the next week with the start of the season drawing closer.

Carpenter was expected to be in the lineup for Sunday's spring game against the Marlins, but was not included for a yet-to-be-announced reason, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

It's not clear why Carpenter's name was omitted from Sunday's lineup, but the most likely reason would be some sort of injury. His status will be updated further when more details become available.

Carpenter went 2-for-2 with a solo home run Thursday in the Cardinals' Grapefruit League contest against the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

Carpenter was making his third start of the spring, all of which have come as the Cardinals' leadoff man. Both Dexter Fowler and offseason acquisition Paul Goldschmidt have followed him in the order on all three occasions, offering a preview of the arrangement manager Mike Shildt plans to proceed with during the regular season. The arrival of Goldschmidt should bolster Carpenter's chances of surpassing the 100-run plateau for the second straight year and fourth time in his career.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a key RBI as the Cardinals kept their playoff hopes alive in a 2-1 victory Saturday over the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

Carpenter reached on catcher's interference and scored in the fourth and pushed the Cardinals in front with sixth inning single off Cole Hamels. The 32-year-old has been struggling in September with a .169 average and just one home run. Nevertheless, Carpenter holds a .258/.376/.524 line on the season and has reached a career high in home runs (36).

Carpenter went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a win over the Giants on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Carpenter put a bow on the scoring for the Cardinals with an impressive 425-foot shot right in the eighth, surprisingly his first homer of September. Carpenter has reached safely in six straight games, but he's slumped badly at the plate in September to the tune of a .178/.315/.247 line across 89 plate appearances. While a .255 BABIP during that stretch could be partly to blame, a bigger culprit is the eight-point-plus bump in strikeout rate (20.8 percent to 29.2 percent) that Carpenter has seen has compared to August.

Carpenter is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Braves.

EDGE Analysis

With the two teams playing a day game after a night game in the series finale, Carpenter will pick up some rest, affording Matt Adams a turn at first base. After closing out August with his 35th home run of the season, Carpenter has endured a power outage thus far in September. He's failed to go deep in the Cardinals' 17 games on the month, contributing only two extra-base hits in total while batting just .169.

Carpenter is not in the lineup against the Dodgers on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

Carpenter will take a seat for the first time since Aug. 29 when he was battling a minor illness. Though he did go 0-for-4 with three strikeouts during Friday's loss, it's a little surprising manager Mike Shildt would withhold Carpenter from the starting nine during such a pivotal showdown with Los Angeles as both teams fight for postseason contention. That said, there hasn't been any word on a potential injury and with another left-hander in Rich Hill on the mound Saturday, it's entirely possible Shildt is just giving the 32-year-old a well-earned day off. Patrick Wisdom will man first base and bat sixth in the order in his absence.