St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz, who was activated from the 60-day injured list on Sunday, will make the start for Tuesday's contest against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The move to start Matz will give right-hander Erick Fedde an extra day of rest this week. Matz was available out of the bullpen on Sunday for the series finale in the Bronx against the New York Yankees, but he didn't pitch. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw has made only six starts for the Cards in 2024, and not since April 30. He wasn't very good in those six starts, yielding a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP while striking out only 17 and walking 11 in 27 2/3 innings, so fantasy managers should probably be looking to avoid him on Tuesday against the first-place Brewers. Matz is likely to head back to the bullpen after Tuesday's spot start, too, so leave him on the waiver wire in mixed leagues.
Steven Matz To Make Another Rehab Start On Tuesday
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) will make what the team hopes is one final minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday when the RedBirds visit Iowa. Manager Oliver Marmol said Matz's target will be around 90 pitches, the same as his previous start. He allowed four runs (one homer) on nine hits, one walk and a hit batter on Aug. 21 for Memphis, throwing 85 pitches (58 strikes) while striking out three in five innings. The veteran southpaw hasn't pitched for the Cardinals since April 30 due to persistent back pain. Matz is expected to rejoin the starting rotation once he finishes his rehab, but there's no easy answer to which spot he'll fill. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak mentioned the possibility of a six man rotation down the stretch, which might be the easiest answer.
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) is likely to have at least one more minor-league rehab start before the team reinstates him from the 60-day injured list. Matz allowed four earned runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out three in five innings (85 pitches) in his third rehab start for Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday night, and the Cardinals would like to see a little bit more from the 33-year-old southpaw before bringing him back to the majors. When Matz does return, it's possible that the Red Birds use a six-man starting rotation to close out the year to accommodate Matz. However, there's also the possibility that Matz is used in long relief. Either way, fantasy managers in mixed leagues can probably ignore him the rest of the way. Before his back injury, Matz had a 6.18 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and career-worst 13.4% strikeout rate in six starts.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Steven Matz (back) has been transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list on Friday. This news comes just two days away from Matz being eligible to come off the injured list. He recently had a setback with a strained back, so it looks like the southpaw is going to need a little more time. The 33-year-old probably won't be back in the rotation until late July at the earliest. Matz wasn't pitching well before the injury, so fantasy managers should be able to find a better option. It's worth noting that right-hander Gordon Graceffo has been recalled. He could be an option to fill in for Matz, but fantasy managers can use a wait-and-see approach here.
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) has suffered a setback in his rehab process and will be shut down for at least two weeks. He will essentially be forced to restart his throwing progression. The veteran woke up feeling tightness after his latest rehab start in which he tossed three-plus scoreless innings on June 16. Matz has been on the 15-day injured list with low back soreness and has not appeared with the Cards since April 30. It's been a difficult season from both a health and performance standpoint for the 33-year-old who owns a 6.18 ERA across six big-league starts, striking out just 13.4% of the hitters he has faced. Add in an 8.7% BB% and Matz's 4.7% K-BB% is a career-low, albeit in a small sample size. He remains off the fantasy radar for the time being.
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) played catch off the mound at Busch Stadium on Friday, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Matz will throw at a much higher intensity on Monday. Matz is dealing with a protruding disc in his lower back and was placed on the 15-day injured list a week ago with a lower-back strain. Given the severity of the 32-year-old veteran southpaw's injury, fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't be expecting Matz to return when he's eligible to come off the IL. In addition to Matz's pretty serious injury, he wasn't good in his six starts before getting hurt, going 1-2 with a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with only 17 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. Matz probably isn't worth holding onto in shallow-mixed fantasy leagues at this point.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that an MRI exam showed a "protruding disc" in left-hander Steven Matz's lower back. He received a pain-killing injection and will be re-evaluated early next week after being placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday. Matz was pitching through lower-back pain in his outing on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers and is now most certainly going to miss more than two weeks. On top of it, the 32-year-old veteran southpaw has opened his third year in St. Louis with a 1-2 record, a bloated 6.18 ERA (4.73 FIP), 1.73 WHIP, 11 walks and 17 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings over his first six starts. In shallow mixed leagues, Matz isn't a must-hold, especially given the nature of his injury, if you have bigger needs on your roster.
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 1) on Friday with a lower-back strain. In a corresponding move, right-hander Kyle Leahy was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. It's unclear how long it will take the 32-year-old veteran southpaw to return, but fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if he's out longer than two weeks. Matz attempted to pitch through his back issue in his latest start on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers but wasn't effective. He's opened the year 1-2 with a bloated 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with only 17 strikeouts and 11 walks in 27 2/3 innings over six starts for the Cardinals. Matz isn't a must-hold in deep-mixed leagues, especially if he's out longer than two weeks. It's unclear who might take his rotation spot in St. Louis.
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) is set to undergo an MRI exam on Thursday after pitching through a back issue on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. Matz went just 3 1/3 innings against Detroit on Tuesday and allowed seven hits (one home run) and four earned runs while walking two and striking out only one. The Cardinals will wait for the results of the MRI before deciding what to do next with the 32-year-old veteran southpaw. Fantasy managers that have Matz rostered in deeper leagues should prepare for the possibility that he will go on the injured list. After his poor start on Tuesday, he's now 1-2 on the year with a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP while striking 17 in 27 2/3 frames over his first six starts in 2024.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Steven Matz got rocked in Tuesday's loss versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-hander tossed 4 1/3 innings and got hit hard for six hits, seven runs and three walks. He also had four strikeouts on the evening. Matz has really struggled to open the 2024 campaign and has allowed 16 runs (13 earned runs) over his last three outings. He has also failed to get past 5 1/3 innings on the season. Matz has a lot that needs to be figured out and can be avoided in all formats, even with a favorable matchup against the Detroit Tigers to begin next week.
Steven Matz
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Cardinals
