Will Matthew Liberatore Be Dropped From Cardinals' Rotation In 2027?

The St. Louis Cardinals' veteran hurler has struggled this season, making it uncertain whether he'll keep his spot in the rotation next season.

Sep 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) reacts after a wild pitch scores a run for the Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After staying healthy for the majority of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals' starting rotation has been hit with the injury bug recently.

Andre Pallante is back in the mix now but missed multiple starts due to elbow inflammation. The same doesn't apply to Hunter Dobbins, who will miss the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. As injuries have piled up, St. Louis has gotten a good look at multiple interesting hurlers, including Quinn Matthews and Cooper Hjerpe.

St. Louis has some promising pitching prospects

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

With Dobbins out for the foreseeable future and only a few rotation spots seemingly secured for next season, it will be interesting to see whether the young hurlers can claim a spot. One player who likely will be on the outside looking in is five-year veteran Matthew Liberatore.

"Liberatore’s underlying numbers have been better than his traditional ones; that’s been a fairly low bar," MLB.com's Will Leitch wrote on Thursday. "His curveball remains elite, but his four-seamer has been hit hard this year, and he continues to fade as the game goes along. It sure seems like his future is in the bullpen, perhaps as a swingman. The 2026 Opening Day starter has had five seasons to lock down a rotation spot, and it still hasn’t happened."

Liberatore has had plenty of opportunities to lock down a spot in the Cardinals' starting rotation, but has not taken advantage of them. Across the past two seasons, the 26-year-old has made 57 starts but has not produced great results. Liberatore has a 5-14 record this season, leading the National League in losses, and has posted a 5.57 ERA with a career-high 144 strikeouts.

The main thing the left-handed hurler has going for him is his durability, as he's pitched 139 innings this season, the third-most on the Cardinals. He's been a consistent piece of St. Louis' starting rotation, but it'd be surprising to see him earn his spot for next season with how poorly he's performed.

Liberatore spent the 2024 season in the Cardinals bullpen, making 54 relief appearances, so the likeliest option for next season would be for the 26-year-old to return to the bullpen.

Kyle Leahy, Michael McGreevy and Pallante will likely be three of the Cardinals' starting pitchers next season, and if Liberatore is on the outside looking in, that leaves two spots up for grabs. In addition to Matthews and Hjerpe, St. Louis also has 2025 first-round pick Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, Brandon Clarke and Jurrangelo Cijntje climbing through their farm system.