Steven Matz’s time on the injured list has been extended after the left-hander hit a setback in his rehab work. As Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told The Athletic’s Katie Woo (links to X) and other reporters, Matz came out his Double-A rehab start last Sunday with more tightness in his back, and the starter has now been shut down for two weeks. Marmol gave a 4-6 week timeline as a projected best-case scenario for Matz to return to the active roster, as Matz’s throwing program will have to more or less be started from scratch after his shutdown period.
It’s a tough break for Matz, who had banked three rehab starts already and was seemingly on track to be activated from the injured list around the start of July. Instead, he’ll now be sidelined for another month at the very least, and more realistically probably won’t be back until some time in August.
Matz made six starts and posted a 6.18 ERA over 27 2/3 innings before going on the IL in early May with a lower back strain, so it has been a rough season all around for the 33-year-old. All told, not much has gone right for Matz since signing his four-year, $44MM free agent deal with St. Louis in November 2021, as various injuries have limited the southpaw to 180 2/3 innings since Opening Day 2022. He looked to be turning things around with a solid 3.86 ERA over 105 innings last year, but neither the production or the good health has been there for Matz this year.
Since it doesn’t seem like Matz will make it back prior to the July 30 trade deadline, it only exacerbates the Cardinals’ need for rotation help. The club’s top four of Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, and Miles Mikolas has been more solid than outstanding, but the quartet has at least been reliably able to take the ball and eat innings. Finding a fifth starter has been an issue for the Cards, as none of Matz, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, or Zack Thompson have provided much help in what has become a bit of a revolving door of a rotation spot.
Like pretty much the entire National League, the Cardinals are in something of a holding pattern with more than a month to do before the trade deadline. St. Louis is an even 37-37 on the season, but the Cards are out of the last wild card spot on percentage points alone due to a lot of parity in the Senior Circuit — only four NL teams entered Saturday’s action with records above .500.
If this uncertainty continues over the next month, it will leave St. Louis and many other teams unclear about how aggressive they should be with their deadline shopping, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Cardinals explore selling if they hit a slump and fall out of the race. Given how the Cards are coming off a rare losing season, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak could possibly feel more pressure to “go for it” in order to get the team back to its customary dose of October baseball, though Mozeliak has traditionally made more mid-level deadline moves rather than true blockbusters during his tenure in the St. Louis front office.
Burly!
That’s why Mo has plenty of depth. Th most teams this would be devastating. But to the Cards it just gives the young guys opportunities. And how boy that cub pitcher Imagana? The cub fans earlier in the season was saying how he was going to break Gibbys ERA record. He sure got bombed yesterday. He was really good when the wind was blowing in. Really bad when it’s blowing out!
“…as none of…Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, or Zack Thompson have provided much help…”
Apparently, “just gives the young guys opportunities” hasn’t worked out so well.
You must be talking about other young guys. Who are they?
Hence, Robberse, Hjerpe (no hitter in first AA start)…
Dude relax, aren’t most pitchers better when the wind is blowing in?!? Yeah he got lit up but I didn’t hear you saying a damn thing earlier in the year. Not fair to cherry pick your stats…I’m sure even the cardinals would gladly take his 7-2 2.96 era (even after giving up 10er yesterday).
STL does NOT have depth! At least, not good depth. If they did, Matz being down would be a no comment and there would be search for the elusive fifth starter. Pitching has been a problem for STL for a decade.
Oh and they won’t be sellers. They will be winners!
Keep drinking that koolaid.
He’s the biggest Cards homer and Cubs hater on here.
Actually Pallante and Liberatore have been pitching quite well thank you. Apparently the author has not been paying attention. And hope cub fans are getting use to that last place spot. They should just name that spot the cubs since they’ve been there so often over the years.
The Cards are defending last place this season and it’s closer than you think for them this year, too.
The cubs one good season the last 120 years
Yep, doing just fine since they plucked the Redbirds’ feathers in the 2015 NLDS.
The Cardinals on May 9 were 7 games behind the cubs. Now 2 games ahead. Seems like the teams are going in different directions
Check your stats before you speak of crap you know nothing about.
Put down the bong loser….next thing you know you’ll be talking about StL “pizza”
Seriously, why do you have such a hard on for the Cubs? How have they harmed you?
Odds very much say STL should be a seller. Mozeliak will be an early casualty if STL is not a seller and STL continues to play as poorly as they have.
Mozeliak isn’t go8ng anywhere. Neither is Marmol. Mo’s contract ends after next year and he said he wouldn’t renew it.
And Marmol is Mi’s golden child and not about to fire him.
Why do you think they gave Marmol a contract extension after one of the worst seasons the Cardinals had last year?
The Cardinals will play just good enough to hover just a little over .500 the rest of the year. And that will be yet another excuse not to fire Marmol
This isn’t all that disappointing considering the way Matz has pitched for the Cardinals.
Lack of depth has killed us. Thinking Matz was an actual reliable starter for us has as well.
As usual, the Cardinals are deficient at the trade deadline. And this team isn’t all that good. They should NOT trade whatever depth they have — unless it’s someone we’re not keeping — for pitching help.
Unless it’s dirt cheap, and it won’t be.
It is impossible for a team to be “out of the last wild card spot on percentage points alone” if they’re .500, as the Cardinals were when this was written.
Every team they would be tied with also would have an identical winning percentage. If they were out of a playoff spot, the playoff teams all would be above .500 and at least a half-game ahead.
If only there was a FA pitcher available, say maybe playing in Mexico, who could be had for the league minimum and be as good as any other Cardinals starter….
Matz’ agent did the Mets a favor not calling back. I feel bad for the guy. He was a good pitcher until he signed that contract. The Cardinals will get no value on that contract, even if he pitches completely healthy from the time he gets back, until the end of the deal. I hope he gets healthy, and pitches well. Hate to see players injured like this. Any player, on any team.
Man, talk about a bad investment