Cardinals Officially Lose Rookie Hurler to Marlins

The St. Louis Cardinals wasted no time making a roster decision around former St. Louis reliever Matt Pushard.

St. Louis selected the righty from the Miami Marlins with the No. 7 pick in the Major League Phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. When you select a player in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft, it comes with rules. Teams need to keep those players on the active big league roster, barring an injury. The player cannot be sent to the minors without clearing waivers and being offered to the team the club selected the player from.

Pushard made his Cardinals debut on March 29 and then landed on the Injured List afterward and didn't return to the big league club until May 17. Overall, he made six appearances with St. Louis in the majors before the club opted to move on and give up on the experiment. The Cardinals designated him for assignment on May 31 to make room on the roster for Hunter Dobbins.

The Cardinals Returned Matt Pushard

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Pushard (67) pitches in his major league debut in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

In designating Pushard for assignment, the Cardinals gave clubs around the league the chance to claim him, but they would need to follow the same Rule 5 rules St. Louis did. He went unclaimed and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirmed on Wednesday that he was returned to Miami.

"Rule 5 pick Matt Pushard has been returned to the Marlins," Goold wrote.

His official MLB.com profile now reflects the move as well. Pushard is no longer in the Cardinals' organization and is back in Miami.

The Cardinals arguably made the right call ripping the Band-Aid off and getting the decision over with. Pushard made 11 appearances down in Triple-A and had a 3.55 ERA in 12 2/3 innings pitched. In the majors, he had a 5.14 ERA in seven innings pitched. Clearly, the Cardinals were looking to see if they could get something out of him. The 11 appearances down in the minors on his rehab stint were a clear sign that the team was trying to see what they had in him. But in the end, the Cardinals didn't let the conversation linger. Dobbins is a significantly better option for the club right now. So, rather than waiting, the Cardinals are giving him his shot in the majors.

It would've been great to keep Pushard in the minors, but that just wasn't in the cards with the Rule 5 rules.

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