Cardinals Pitching Prospect Quinn Mathews Twirls Second Straight Gem in Triple-A

St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitching prospect Quinn Mathews has dazzled on the mound in his first two starts of June.

Mathews, St. Louis' No. 6 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, tossed six scoreless innings for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds on Thursday. The 25-year-old gave up no runs on three hits and one walk while striking out six in the Redbirds' 7-0 win over the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. This outing comes after the southpaw also threw six shutout innings in his first start this month. In that outing on June 4, the young lefty only allowed one hit and struck out nine against the Louisville Bats, the Cincinnati Reds' Triple-A affiliate.

Entering June, Mathews had a 5.22 ERA through his first 10 Triple-A starts of the 2026 season. But now, thanks to his 12 scoreless innings to begin the month, the 2023 fourth-round draft pick has seen that number drop to a 4.01 ERA. He also has 67 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings pitched this year. And if he keeps throwing the ball the way he has so far in June, the 25-year-old could be a candidate to join St. Louis' rotation at some point this season.

Could Quinn Mathews make his MLB debut in 2026?

Feb 25, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) throws against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning of a spring training game at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

As things stand, the Cardinals already have six healthy starters in their big league rotation. But, based on how he's pitching right now, Mathews would seemingly be among the options to be added to St. Louis' starting pitching staff if a spot opened up for whatever reason.

The Cardinals have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 MLB season so far. They're currently in second place in the National League Central with a 37-29 record. If the season ended today, they'd have the National League's first Wild Card spot.

A large part of St. Louis' success this year has been thanks to major contributions from some homegrown talent, including outfielder Jordan Walker and second baseman JJ Wetherholt. And with multiple prospects making a name for themselves in the minors, such as left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle and outfielder Joshua Báez, it's undoubtedly an exciting time to be a Cardinals fan.

For Mathews, though, the southpaw will likely focus on trying to continue his strong start to the month in Triple-A. But depending on how he pitches and how the rest of the season goes for St. Louis, the 25-year-old could find himself playing a role in a big league playoff push later this year.

Add us as a preferred source on Google