PT TOMORROW: NL West - Carpenter's days in SD are dwindling

San Diego Padres

For much of the first half of the season, the Padres were content to allow the designated hitter to be a non-productive spot in the lineup, with the combination of Matt Carpenter (1B, SD) and Nelson Cruz (DH, FA) floundering at the position. Cruz has since been DFA’d, while Carpenter has finally started to see his playing time slip. While he experienced a brief renaissance with the Yankees in 2022, Carpenter hasn’t been able to carry that over to his time in San Diego (64 ct%, 79 HctX, 126 xPX, -5 BPV).

Of late, Alfonso Rivas (DH, SD) has slowly seen his playing time at first base tick up, as he’s started three of the team’s last seven games. In that same span, Carpenter has started only twice, while Matt Batten (3B,...

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