When Will Cardinals Promote Impressive 25-Year-Old Pitching Prospect?

The St. Louis Cardinals should turn to one of their top pitching prospects as a way to bolster their starting rotation down the stretch.

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have not gotten off to a great start to the second half of the season.

After losing six of their first eight games to start the second half of the season, St. Louis has fallen out of the playoffs and sits over two games out from the final wild-card playoff spot with a 52-51 record. Though the Cardinals were not expected to be so successful this season, their recent rough patch could completely alter how the team handles the upcoming trade deadline.

It was unclear if St. Louis would operate as buyers at the trade deadline with how well the team has performed this season. Now that the Cardinals are sitting on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, it would be surprising to see the team pull off any major moves, especially since the team was ready to enter a full-scale rebuild this offseason.

Cardinals should bolster starting rotation with internal option

Jun 27, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium during the seventh inning of a between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Whether the Cardinals buy or sell at the trade deadline, they should consider bolstering their starting rotation by promoting one of their top pitching prospects, Quinn Matthews. Matthews, 25, has been tearing things up in Triple-A, recently posting a season-high 10 strikeouts in his latest start.

"Quinn Mathews has been knocking on the door of a callup to the big leagues, and another superb start for Triple-A Memphis on Friday will only help his case," MLB.com's Max Ralph wrote on Saturday. "The Cardinals’ No. 7 prospect posted a season-high 10 strikeouts while tying his season-long outing of seven innings, holding Durham to just one unearned run.

"Mathews, the 2024 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, now has a sparkling 1.59 ERA in his last 10 starts and a strong 3.13 ERA on the season overall. He’s allowed more than three hits just once in this dominant 10-start stretch, and his 111 total strikeouts across 19 starts leads all Cardinals Minor Leaguers."

The Cardinals drafted Matthews in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, and the 25-year-old has quickly risen through the ranks of the team's farm system. Matthews is a dominant left-handed pitcher who struck out over 200 batters in 2024 and has continued to develop into a solid hurler.

The Cardinals could use another left-handed starter in their rotation, like their No. 7 prospect, especially if the team trades away any pitchers at the trade deadline. Matthews has been impressive this season and could help bolster the team's rotation down the stretch while gaining important experience in the big leagues.

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