Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Top Pitching Prospect Placed On Injured List With 'Undisclosed Injury'

The young St. Louis hurler is having a challenging 2025 campaign
Nate Hagerty|
Apr 16, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals scoreboard as a plane passes by during the seventh inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Apr 16, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals scoreboard as a plane passes by during the seventh inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking forward to their future but a recent injury to one of their most vital top pitching prospects could be problematic.

As the youth-laden Cardinals continue to defy naysayers and compete for the National League Central title, St. Louis fans want to know what's in store for the team's future.

It's true that the Cardinals have one of the league's top pitching prospects. However, the young left-handed pitcher recently landed on the injured list and little is known about his recovery timeline.

"(Quinn) Mathews was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis on Sunday with an undisclosed injury," CBS Sports' RotoWire Staff reported Monday afternoon. "Mathews' velocity was down significantly in his last start for Memphis on April 11."

Matthews has posted an alarming 0-2 record with a 6.10 ERA, 7-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .282 batting average against and a 2.52 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings pitched for Triple-A Memphis this season.

After leading Minor League Baseball with 202 strikeouts in his first professional season last year, pitching for Single-A Palm Beach, High-A Peoria, Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, Matthews quickly became the Cardinals' No. 2 top prospect.

The 24-year-old is the league's No. 4 left-handed pitching prospect but his concerning start to 2025 is worrisome. Since being promoted to Triple-A Memphis toward the end of last season, Matthews is 0-4 with a 6.33 ERA, 29-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .282 batting average against and a 2.15 WHIP in 27 innings pitched.

Hopefully, Matthews' early struggles in pitching at the highest minor league level don't persist and his mysterious injury isn't something serious. Still, his decreased velocity and inability to command the zone this year are major red flags.

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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