The Cardinals have spent much of the second half patching holes, but that mess has also created an opening for Quinn Matthews.
St. Louis has stayed alive in the playoff race despite selling at the trade deadline and absorbing a wave of injuries. The club is only a few games out of the final wild-card spot, and even after those deadline moves, it has kept itself relevant with eye-catching wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The injury list has been a big part of the story. Since the All-Star break, the Cardinals have lost JJ Wetherholt, Blaze Jordan and Masyn Winn. Their pitching depth has taken hits too, with Andre Pallante on the injured list and Hunter Dobbins done for the year.
That kind of attrition has pushed prospects into the picture, and Matthews has become one of the names worth watching. The left-hander has had a mixed first stretch in the majors, putting up a 5.03 ERA across four starts, but three of those outings have still seen him allow two runs or fewer.
There’s also a path opening in next year’s rotation. Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante have likely already claimed three spots, which leaves some uncertainty behind them. With Dobbins facing a 12-month recovery after surgery, Matthews has a real chance to grab one of the remaining jobs.
MLB.com’s Will Leitch pointed to Matthews’ latest outing as a major step forward. “One of the nicer Cardinals moments of the last couple of weeks was when Crooks gave a postgame speech congratulating Quinn Mathews, his batterymate throughout multiple Minor League levels, on his first MLB win last Friday,” Leitch wrote on Wednesday.
“It was without question Mathews’ best performance as a big leaguer, striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings against the Pirates. It was a sign of what Mathews has been able to do in the Minors and why the Cardinals have such high hopes for their No. 8 prospect.
“It would seem that three pitchers have been secured spots in next year’s Cardinals rotation: Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and (probably) Andre Pallante. If Mathews keeps pitching like he did on Friday, it would be difficult to take a fourth away from him.”
Matthews, 25, is carrying the kind of prospect reputation that makes those next few starts matter. He was rocked by the Philadelphia Phillies, but he has been solid in his other appearances. With a little more than 20 games left, he should get more chances to keep building his case.
In Other News...
Cardinals Trade Regret Keeps Growing At Their Biggest Weak Spot
The Cardinals decision to move Tommy Edman in a three-team deal with the Dodgers and White Sox was supposed to help them patch a playoff race without giving up the kind of prospects they wanted to keep. St. Louis came away with Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham, and it briefly looked like a win-now gamble that fit the moment, especially with the organization trying to squeeze value out of the roster it had built.
Now the long view looks far less kind. Miguel Vargas, the young third baseman sent to Chicago in the swap, has developed into one of baseballs best hitters in 2026, while the Cardinals have continued to search for stability at third base. The part of the deal that once felt like a manageable price has become a reminder of a bigger issue for St. Louis, especially after the club eventually shifted away from pushing for immediate contention and toward a rebuild. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Took A Rotation Hit That Changes One Recent Trade
The Cardinals pitching depth took a jolt this week when Hunter Dobbins underwent elbow reconstructive surgery Wednesday, a setback that changes the picture for one of the clubs more recent trade additions. Dobbins had given St. Louis a useful stretch before the injury, posting a 3.67 ERA in 11 appearances this season, and his arrival had offered another arm to help stabilize a rotation that can never seem to have enough certainty.
Instead, the focus now turns to recovery, with a Cardinals official saying he will face a 12-month rehabilitation period after his second surgery on the same right elbow. The timetable points to him missing the rest of the 2026 season and most of 2027, leaving St. Louis to rethink how it fills the innings it expected to get from him and how this move fits into the broader plan for the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Deadline Trade Suddenly Looks Better Than Fans Expected
The trade deadline move that sent Dustin May and JoJo Romero to Milwaukee had plenty of Cardinals fans wondering how much immediate value St. Louis was giving up, especially with the rotation already asking a lot of its remaining arms. May was supposed to bring stability for the Brewers down the stretch, and the kind of trade involving a big-league pitcher for prospects usually carries a familiar wait-and-see warning for the club that deals him away.
Instead, the early returns have leaned the Cardinals way. May has labored through five starts with Milwaukee, and St. Louis has already added Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale to the farm system, giving the front office at least some reason to feel better about the deadline deal even as the big-league rotation continues to need help. For a team trying to balance present needs with future value, this one suddenly looks a little more favorable than it did in July. [Read more 🡒]