Matt Carpenter's X-Rays on Hand Injury Negative After Beanball vs. Nationals

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter was removed from Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals after he was hit by a pitch on the right hand. 

According to the team, X-rays on Carpenter's hand came back negative, and he was removed "for precautionary reasons."  

Through April, Carpenter was batting .155 and slugging .274. Since then, the three-time All-Star has been on a tear. For the season, he boasts a .277/.389/.592 slash line to go along with a league-leading 33 home runs, 68 RBI and a .981 OPS.

His 5.0 WAR leads all position players in the National League, per FanGraphs.

The Cardinals have improved following the firing of manager Mike Matheny, but they still have a lot of work to do to return to the postseason for the first time since 2015.

The race for the National League Central division title will likely be decided by only a few games, and the same goes for the final NL wild-card spots. Even if Carpenter misses a game or two, losing him for any length of time would be a big blow for the Cardinals.