Minor League Baseball

St. Louis Cardinals Send 'Phenomenal' Prospect Back to Minor League Camp

Indications are left-hander Quinn Mathews will be making his major league debut with the Cardinals sooner rather than later, however.
Jami Leabow|
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 in Dunedin, Fla., on Feb. 25, 2025.
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 in Dunedin, Fla., on Feb. 25, 2025. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

Left-hander Quinn Mathews did plenty to impress the St. Louis Cardinals this spring, including outdueling a legend.

Still, the Cardinals reassigned the young pitcher to minor league camp on Sunday, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mathews in St. Louis in the not-too-distant future.

The Cardinals want Mathews to continue building the momentum he’s gained during spring training in the Grapefruit League, and that’s why they sent him to minor league camp. There, he can start every fifth day – something he couldn’t do with the Cardinals.

Manager Oliver Marmol told reporters that Mathews couldn’t have been more impressive, even in his exit interview.

“He did a phenomenal job,” Marmol said of Mathews, per MLB.com. “Even in his exit meeting to transition into minor league camp, it was awesome. You listen to him verbalize what he took out of camp and, from a routine standpoint, it's always good when these young guys can see it modeled here. Their immediate reaction is [realizing], 'Man, there's another whole level to preparation that I need to tap into.'

“That's what he communicated -- having a routine, not only for a game, but for the way he prepares for playing catch and preparing for his bullpen. There's a lot of room to commit to that, and it’s exciting because he's already good -- and there are areas of him being able to improve upon.”

In his one spring training start last Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, Mathews went more than toe to toe with three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer. The No. 4-ranked left-handed prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, Mathews threw two scoreless innings and gave up two hits and a walk. He struck out three batters, throwing 33 pitches with 24 strikes.

The 6-foot-5 Mathews was taken by St. Louis in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford.

Mathews, 24, was named Pitching Prospect of the Year by MLB Pipeline after his 2024 performance, when he finished 8-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 26 starts across four levels, culminating at Triple-A Memphis. He struck out 202 batters in 143.1 innings.

Mathews became the first minor league pitcher to strike out at least 200 batters in a season since 2011, per MLB Pipeline.

Also Sunday, the Cardinals reassigned right-handed pitchers Ian Bedell and Edwin Nunez, left-handed pitchers Alex Cornwell and Cooper Hjerpe, outfielder Chase Davis, and catchers Sammy Hernandez and Carlos Linarez to minor league camp. Left-hander Bailey Horn was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.