Matthew Liberatore Fantasy Stats

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander looked sharp against the Tampa Bay Rays in his Opening Day start on Thursday, allowing only one earned run on seven hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out two in five innings of work for a no-decision. The 26-year-old southpaw was in a full-time starting role for the Cardinals in 2025 and went 8-12 with a 4.21 ERA (4.03 FIP) and 1.30 WHIP with a career-high 122 strikeouts and 40 walks in 151 2/3 innings over his 29 starts. Most of his best work last year came early in the season before a rough 14-start stretch in the middle of the year, where he had an ERA over 5.00. Liberatore was passable as a deep-league, matchup-based streamer in 2025, but his 18.8% strikeout rate left a lot to be desired in fantasy formats. It was a nice start for him on Thursday, but he faces a tough second matchup against the Mets, and fantasy managers in mixed leagues will want to see plenty more before they consider him off the waiver wire. Liberatore is only rostered in 24% of Yahoo leagues currently.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore has streaming appeal in fantasy baseball on Thursday. Liberatore was named the Cardinals' Opening Day starter and will get the ball against the Tampa Bay Rays. Beyond the fact that he's starting Game 1 and had an impressive 1.80 ERA with 11.4 K/9 this spring, the southpaw is a particularly appealing streaming candidate because of his matchup against Tampa Bay. The Rays' lineup projects for the sixth-lowest fWAR in 2026, according to FanGraphs, and it's laden with plenty of lefties, giving Liberatore a potential handedness advantage. Fantasy managers should consider streaming the 26-year-old on Opening Day as he faces off against the team that originally drafted him.

Across 151 2/3 innings (29 starts) in 2025, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore recorded an 8-12 record with a 4.21 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 122 strikeouts. While Liberatore's numbers do not jump off the page, the 26-year-old was recently named the Cardinals' 2026 Opening Day starter and appears likely to be entrusted as an innings-eating workhorse this season. Liberatore has also had an impressive Spring Training. Across 15 innings of Grapefruit League action, he's 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and just two walks. Liberatore owns an 18.9% career strikeout rate, so the 33.9% rate he's posted this spring is sure to regress. Still, if he can boost his strikeout rate from the high teens to the low twenties, Liberatore's profile becomes much more attractive to fantasy managers. In the very late rounds of drafts, Liberatore could be worth taking a flier on heading into 2026.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore will get the nod as the team's Opening Day starter in 2026, taking on the Tampa Bay Rays at home on Thursday, March 26. The left-hander was second on the team in wins, quality starts, and strikeouts last season behind Sonny Gray, who is no longer with the club, so Liberatore will assume the role of ace of the staff. The 6-foot-5 southpaw recorded a 4.21 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 122 strikeouts in 151 2/2 innings pitched last season, which doesn't really move the needle much for fantasy. The former first-rounder has looked good so far this spring, though, as he's allowed three earned runs in 10 innings of work (2.70 ERA) while registering a 1.00 WHIP and an impressive 14:1 K:BB in his three starts, so perhaps he's ready to take a step forward in 2026. The 26-year-old is going undrafted in most fantasy leagues, owning an ADP of 359, right around his RotoBaller ranking of 341 overall.

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.