10:15am: The promotion is now official. St. Louis optioned right-hander Matt Svanson to Triple-A to clear a spot for Mautz.
9:45am: Cardinals left-hander Brycen Mautz will be called up for his MLB debut on Sunday, relays Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He’ll slide into the rotation with St. Louis coming off a doubleheader on Saturday.
It’ll be the second straight day with a big-league debut for the Cardinals, who promoted infielder/outfielder Bryan Torres on Friday. The longtime minor leaguer didn’t get into the first game against the Reds, but started both matchups of Saturday’s twin bill. Torres recorded three hits across the two games.
Mautz has delivered a sub-3.00 ERA across nine starts at Triple-A this season. He’s striking out more than a batter per inning, but his 13.5% walk rate is a career-worst mark. The 24-year-old is not among the upper tier of prospects in the St. Louis system, but he’s generally among the top 20 in the organization. FanGraphs‘ James Fegan ranked Mautz at No. 17 heading into the season, while MLB Pipeline had him at 20th.
The Cardinals selected Mautz in the second round of the 2022 draft out of the University of San Diego. The lefty posted decent results in his first pro season, recording a sub-4.00 ERA at Single-A. He took a step back in High-A the following year, with a 5.18 ERA to go with a 4.86 FIP. Mautz came through with a breakout season in 2025. He cruised to a 2.98 ERA with a career-best 28.6% strikeout rate in 25 starts at Double-A. Mautz was named the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year last season.
This could be a brief stint for Mautz, as the Cardinals don’t have a clear hole in the rotation. The group has remained healthy and generally provided decent results. Veterans Dustin May, Matthew Liberatore, and Andre Pallante haven’t excelled on a per-inning basis, but they’re offering length each time they take the ball. Michael McGreevy is off to a strong start. Kyle Leahy‘s transition to the rotation has gone reasonably well.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images