St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has told reporters that left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore will be the teams fifth starter to start the season. Other starter hopeful Michael McGreevy will start the season in triple-A and veteran Steven Matz will be in long relief. Eventually, the Cardinals plan on moving to a six-man rotation with Matz.
Liberatore Getting Another Chance as a Starter
Liberatore has had a solid Spring Training so far. Through 16.2 innings pitched, Liberatore has produced a 1.62 ERA with nine strikeouts and four walks and has surrendered no home runs. The 25-year-old will be the second left-handed pitcher in the Cardinals starting rotation to start the year along with Andre Pallante.
Victor Scott II will be the Opening Day center fielder. Matthew Liberatore is the fifth starter. Steven Matz will be in long relief. Cardinals will go on a six-man rotation beginning April 16.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) March 23, 2025
In Liberatore’s three MLB seasons, he has spent most of his time coming out of the bullpen. He has had better success as a middle relief pitcher than a starter. As a reliever, Liberatore has a career ERA of 3.89 in 67 appearances and 81 innings pitched. In 24 starts, Liberatore has a career ERA of 5.86 in 101.1 innings pitched.
At the beginning of Spring Training, Marmol opened the door for the possibility of Liberatore breaking into the rotation among the three to four pitcher race for the fifth spot.
“I love seeing him in that role where he can pitch high leverage in a relief role and give you multiple innings if needed. He also gives you versatility, as he’s continuing to evolve as a mature player,” Marmol told reporters. “We give him an opportunity to continue to get stretched out in the Spring. Then make a decision as you have more clarity as to what the roster is looking like closer to breaking camp.”
Matz To Start in Bullpen and Eventually Join Rotation
Marmol told reporters that Matz will start the season as a middle-reliever and join the rotation around April 16. He circled that date because the schedule gets heavier and there are fewer off days around then.
Matz finished an injury-plagued 2024 coming out of the bullpen. The 33-year-old started seven games last season and made five appearances in relief. In those appearances, he produced a 5.08 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Both were above career averages.
When he joins the rotation, he will join a strong veteran presence among the starters. Opening Day starter Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, and Erick Fedde are all also above 30 years old. Liberatore and Pallante are both under 30.
McGreevy to Start in Triple-A and Be Injury Insurance
The Cardinals No. 11 prospect Michael McGreevy was a strong candidate to join the rotation. He probably performed the best of the options to earn the fifth rotation spot in the Spring. In 16.2 innings pitched, he had an ERA of just 1.08, a WHIP of .600, and 12 strikeouts. He finished strong in 2024, putting up a 1.96 ERA in three starts to earn three wins.
RHP Michael McGreevy will start the season at Triple-A despite pitching extremely well in Spring Training. Manager Oli Marmol said sending McGreevy to Triple A provides a layer of injury protection for the starting staff in St. Louis.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 23, 2025
Marmol told reporters that sending McGreevy to Triple-A provides a layer of protection for the starting staff at the MLB level. Even this Winter, Cardinals upper management wanted to have more insurance for the rotation after injuries hit them early in 2024.
“As we all know, if you go in with five, you are going to be short one,” Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak told reporters in January at the Cardinals ‘Winter Warmup media event. “I think the depth of what we have in our rotation is something we feel good about. We would like to keep that if possible.”
If injuries hit the rotation again in 2025, McGreevy will likely be the first callup.
Main Photo Credits: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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