JUST IN: Cardinals Recall World Series Veteran Acquired in Paul DeJong Trade for MLB Debut

The veteran left-hander will officially return to the St. Louis Cardinals’ starting rotation on Thursday afternoon, when he is scheduled to take the mound against the Houston Astros. This marks his first start of the 2025 season after beginning the year in the bullpen, a strategic move by the Cardinals during a light early-season schedule that featured multiple off days in the first three weeks.

With that period of rest now over, the team has embarked on a grueling stretch of 13 straight games without a day off, prompting the Cardinals to shift into a six-man rotation to help manage pitcher workloads and avoid overtaxing the staff. As a result, he will now transition back into a starting role, a move that was anticipated by the organization since Opening Day.

From the outset of the season, the Cardinals made it clear they were interested in seeing what Matthew Liberatore could offer in a full-time rotation role. Liberatore spent most of last year working out of the bullpen in long relief and was due for another extended opportunity. Established rotation arms such as Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Miles Mikolas were locks for their roles, while Andre Pallante earned the fourth spot after a strong showing. With him temporarily pushed into relief duty due to the early abundance of off days, the team avoided an unnecessary six-man setup until now.

Despite his bullpen role, Matz has turned in a solid performance over his first five appearances this season. Across 11 2/3 innings, he has surrendered four total runs—only three of which were earned—demonstrating solid command and the ability to keep hitters off balance. While he has struck out only six batters and generated a modest 9% swinging strike rate, Matz has kept walks to a minimum and induced ground balls at a respectable 46.2% clip. His most recent outing came this past Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, when he threw 46 pitches over 2 1/3 innings.

Because Matz is still ramping up to a full starter’s workload, the Cardinals will keep him on a limited pitch count for his return to the rotation. According to Daniel Guerrero of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the 33-year-old will be capped at approximately 65 pitches during Thursday’s game.

This season marks the final year of Matz’s four-year, $44 million free-agent contract with St. Louis, and it could also represent a turning point in his tenure with the team. While his time with the Cardinals has been largely disrupted by injuries and uneven performances, there have been glimpses of effectiveness. In 2022, he posted a 3.86 ERA across 105 innings. However, last season was marred by a back injury that limited him to just 44 1/3 innings over 12 appearances, seven of which were starts. He struggled to a 5.08 ERA with a below-average 17.4% strikeout rate.

Now healthy and back in the rotation, Matz has a chance to not only reestablish himself as a reliable option for the Cardinals but also raise his trade value ahead of the deadline. With a $12 million salary and expiring contract, a strong first half could make him a candidate to bring back a modest return or at least provide the club with some salary relief if they choose to move him.