Matthew Liberatore Fantasy Stats

St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore wants to be the team's Opening Day starter and hopes to "force their hand" in any way during spring training. Jim Hayes of the FanDuel Sports Network reported that the southpaw has added a new pitch that he plans to unveil during camp. After spending most of 2024 in the bullpen, Liberatore was able to log a career-high 151 2/3 innings with the Cardinals last season, operating as a full-time starter. During this stretch, Liberatore posted a 4.21 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP. He struck out 122 hitters but showed high-end command, allowing walks at a low 6.2% rate. Under the hood, he generated a modest 4.90 xERA, suggesting he could take a step back in the upcoming season. Liberatore figures to compete alongside Michael McGreevy, Dustin May, and Richard Fitts for the Opening Day nod.

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore will not make his scheduled start in Sunday's season finale against the Chicago Cubs, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. With the Cardinals eliminated from contention, they will will shut Liberatore down early and opt for a bullpen game. In what will go down as his last start of 2025, the 25-year-old tossed five innings of one-run ball in a win over the Milwaukee Brewers last Sunday. After spending the majority of his first three seasons as a reliever, Liberatore served as a full-time starter this year. He finished 8-12 with a 4.21 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, 122 strikeouts, and 40 walks over 29 starts and 151 2/3 innings.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore won't make his next scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies on Monday. The Cardinals have decided to give Liberatore some extra rest coming out of the All-Star break. The southpaw has already thrown 100.1 innings which is more than he threw in each of the last two seasons as a swingman. That being said, Michael McGreevy is set to take the ball versus the Rockies on Monday. After that, Erick Fedde will take the ball for Tuesday's contest. It doesn't sound like Liberatore will take the mound again until Saturday versus the San Diego Padres. Liberatore has pitched well enough to be rostered in deep leagues, but this strategy is certainly going to impact his fantasy value.

St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore (fatigue) is dealing with some fatigue following his start on Thursday. Liberatore got the nod in the second game of their doubleheader on Thursday against the Royals. The 25-year-old left the game after logging four innings of work. He allowed eight hits and seven runs and only struck out two. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to his next start in case he needs additional rest before taking the bump. Entering this game, the southpaw held a solid 3.08 ERA with an impressive 1.06 WHIP across 64 1/3 innings. He struck out 56 batters and showed elite control, allowing just nine free passes. If the 25-year-old were to be in danger of missing his next start, the Cardinals could opt for a bullpen game or promote right-hander Michael McGreevy from Triple-A, who has found success as a spot starter in the big leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore (3-3) delivered his best outing of the season Tuesday night, tossing seven impressive innings in a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Liberatore, who took a loss in his previous start against the Cincinnati Reds, rebounded with authority, allowing just one run on three hits and three walks while striking out a season-high eight batters. The win was his third of the year, lowering his ERA to 3.07 and WHIP to 0.95. With a difficult matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies on deck, Liberatore will look to maintain his momentum and further solidify his spot in the Cardinals' rotation.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore shut down the Phillies' potent lineup on Sunday afternoon, spinning six shutout innings while giving up just three singles and one walk and striking out seven. Liberatore improved his ERA to 3.93 and has an even better 1.91 FIP after his first three starts of the season. He has racked up 18 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings and gone at least six innings in each of his three starts. The 25-year-old lefty is off to a strong start to the season and makes sense as a streaming play or NL-only addition after his strong start to the season. His next turn in the rotation is scheduled for Friday night against the Mets in New York.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore has been named the team's fifth starter. The Arizona native was decent in spurts a season ago but could never put it all together consistently. He spent most of his 86 innings out of the bullpen (six starts) in 2024, but the Cardinals will give him another go in the rotation. Liberatore has been solid this spring, compiling a 1.62 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 16 2/3 innings of work (one start). It's unclear whether or not the former first-round pick will impact fantasy this season, but it's certainly intriguing that the Cardinals continue to give him chances in the rotation. He's nothing more than a late-round lottery ticket at this point and can be found by fantasy managers on waiver wires until he proves he's worth a roster spot.

The Athletic's Katie Woo writes that all inclinations are that the St. Louis Cardinals are leaning towards using left-hander Matthew Liberatore as a multi-inning reliever (a role he excelled in last year) instead as starting-pitching depth. Liberatore has been dominant in spring games so far, retiring 21 of the 22 batters he's faced without allowing a hit. Manager Oliver Marmol said that the 25-year-old southpaw looks to be on a mission this year, but a path to fantasy relevance is unlikely unless he is given a starting-rotation spot. Based on results alone, Liberatore has been much more effective as a reliever -- 3.89 career ERA in relief as opposed to a 5.86 ERA as a starter -- which is why it makes the most sense for him to open the 2025 season out of the bullpen. After moving to relief last August, he had a 25% strikeout rate and 2.67 ERA out of the 'pen.

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore, who served as a dependable reliever for the team in 2024, said that he's preparing to be a starter in spring training and for the 2025 regular season. "It's easier to go from five innings to one than one to five," Liberatore said. MLB's John Denton writes that the key for Liberatore will be getting better against right-handed hitters, and that could ultimately determine if the Cardinals are comfortable giving him a starting-rotation spot to begin the regular season. The 25-year-old southpaw and former first-rounder by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 held a 4.40 ERA and 1.23 WHIP overall with a career-high 76 strikeouts and 28 walks in 86 innings over 60 outings (six starts) for St. Louis last year, but he had an ERA under 4.00 in relief. In his career as a starter, Liberatore holds an ERA just south of 6.00.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore recorded eight strikeouts without allowing a run across six innings of work, picking up his second win of the year during his start against the Atlanta Braves in Wednesday's doubleheader. Drawing the start for the Cardinals on short notice in Game 2 of Wednesday's twin bill, Liberatore was stellar in what was easily his best display of the season. The 24-year-old left-hander has plenty of untapped potential; he was the top pitching prospect in St. Louis' farm system just three years ago. Although it's unclear how manager Oliver Marmol will elect to use Liberatore going forward, he's suddenly someone to monitor closely in fantasy leagues moving ahead. Liberatore now carries a 3.86 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 36 punchouts and 16 walks over 44 1/3 innings (five starts), tentatively lining up to start next week in a favorable spot on the road against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates.