Not long ago, former St. Louis Cardinals star Matt Carpenter was one of the most consistent and dangerous hitters in MLB. Fast forward a few years, and he's struggling to hold onto a roster spot. According to reports, the Texas Rangers informed the veteran infielder that he would not be making the roster ahead of Opening Day, meaning Carpenter is set to re-enter free agency, per Rangers beat writer Jeff Wilson.

After latching on with the Rangers this offseason, Carpenter failed to impress throughout Spring Training, doing little to prove he was worth a spot on Texas' MLB roster. Across the first eight games, Carpenter had just four hits in 18 plate appearances. He recorded four RBI and recorded one extra-base hit, but it wasn't enough for a spot on the big club.

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The former Cardinal was an All-Star as recently as 2016, but Carpenter is far removed from his days as one of baseball's best all-around hitters. From 2012-18, his first seven seasons in MLB, Carpenter slashed .275/.377/.471 with 133 home runs and 485 RBI across 1,013 games. He made three All-Star Games, won a Silver Slugger and placed fourth in National League MVP voting during that span.

Over the past three seasons, however, the veteran has recorded a dismal .203/.325/.346 slash line with just 22 home runs, 91 RBI, and 254 strikeouts across 309 games. He hit below .200 in each of the past two seasons, including a career-low .169 batting average in 2021.

He was hoping to rebound and find an MLB home for the final few years of his career with the Rangers, but a slow Spring Training saw Texas elect to roll with the likes of Charlie Culberson, Kolby Allard, and Matt Bush.