Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals No. 7 Prospect Sent Down to Minor League Camp

The St. Louis Cardinals made a handful of roster decisions on Monday.
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) sits in the dugout before the game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) sits in the dugout before the game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals announced the second round of Spring Training roster cuts on Monday and it's clear that the decisions are starting to get pretty difficult.

On Monday, the Cardinals sent down No. 4 prospect Joshua Báez after an explosive camp that really raised some eyebrows. He may not make the club out of camp, but he showed throughout camp that his time is coming. The Cardinals need a right-handed power bat. If he can carry this momentum into the minors to kick off the 2026 season, his time will come sooner rather than later.

He wasn't the only guy sent down on Monday, though. St. Louis announced five Spring Training roster cuts in total, including No. 7 prospect Quinn Mathews.

The Cardinals flamethrower is on the MLB doorstep

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Quinn Mathews
Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) and catcher Pedro Pages (43) arrive to the dugout before theme against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Like Báez, Mathews is another guy who has impressed in camp. He made three appearances and logged a 5.14 ERA while allowing four earned runs in seven innings pitched. That doesn't sound great. But, more importantly, his velocity has been back. Mathews has flashed an explosive fastball in Spring Training. He was the team's No. 2 prospect in 2025, but an injury slowed his momentum. In 2025, he logged a 3.73 ERA overall in 24 appearances, including 22 at the Triple-A level.

Mathews is someone who is right on the doorstep to the majors. The Cardinals are fortunately loaded with young pitching right now. Mathews has dropped and is the club's No. 7 prospect right now. While he may be going down to the minors right now, he's going to be someone to watch early on this season. Going down to the minors right now isn't a bad thing. It will allow him to continue to build up innings without being impacted by the guys really in the mix for a rotation spot.

But if an injury pops up, he should be the next guy on the list. Right now, Mathews is going down to minor league camp. But he's someone who very well could end up making his big league debut in 2026 if he pitches down in the minors to kick off the season like he did in Spring Training.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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