Steven Matz is slated to make his first start of the season tomorrow afternoon as the Cardinals shift to a six-man rotation during a stretch of 13 consecutive games. Matz had opened the season in the bullpen due to a lighter early schedule, with off days in each of the first three weeks.
This move has been part of the Cardinals’ plan since Opening Day, aiming to give Matthew Liberatore another shot in the rotation after a year spent mostly in long relief. With Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Miles Mikolas locked into the rotation and Andre Pallante holding down a spot, Matz shifted to relief temporarily.
In his five bullpen outings, Matz has thrown 11 2/3 innings, giving up four runs (three earned). While his strikeout numbers (six Ks and a 9% swinging strike rate) haven’t stood out, he’s been efficient with his command and has induced ground balls at a solid 46.2% clip. He last pitched on Sunday, throwing 46 pitches in 2 1/3 innings against the Phillies. He’ll be working on short rest and is expected to be limited to around 65 pitches, per Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Now 33, Matz is in the final year of his four-year, $44 million deal with the Cardinals. His time in St. Louis has been hampered by injuries and inconsistency, though he did post a respectable 3.86 ERA over 105 innings in 2022. A back issue limited him to just 44 1/3 innings last season, with a 5.08 ERA and a 17.4% strikeout rate. If he can stay healthy and pitch well, Matz could become a trade chip near the deadline, potentially bringing the Cardinals some salary relief or a modest return.
