St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Matthew Liberatore (illness) was unavailable for this past weekend's three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks because of an illness, but manager Oliver Marmol said that the hurler will rejoin the team on Monday for the start of the three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. Having not pitched since last Tuesday, it sounds like Liberatore is feeling better and should be available out of the bullpen on Monday. The 24-year-old southpaw was the top pitching prospect in St. Louis' farm system not long ago, and while he's settling in as a key bullpen piece for the Cards, it's a far cry from the expectations he once garnered. Liberatore owns a solid 3.52 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with five strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings primarily working as a middle-reliever this year, which is a role that doesn't lend itself to very much fantasy appeal at the moment.

The St. Louis Cardinals placed left-hander Matthew Liberatore (back) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 19) on Tuesday with lower-back tightness and selected the contract of pitcher Jacob Barnes from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Liberatore's frustrating season in 2023 continues, as he'll now have to miss at least the next two weeks. His back issue cropped up in his last start on Aug. 16 and he apparently didn't recover enough to make his start this week. The 23-year-old southpaw is still young, but he's been a pretty big disappointment ever since St. Louis acquired him in the trade that sent All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Tampa Bay Rays. Liberatore is 2-5 this year with a 6.12 ERA (4.47 FIP), 1.64 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 50 innings over 12 outings (11 starts).

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore is making Thursday's start against Sonny Gray and the Minnesota Twins. The former top prospect has pitched 32 innings for the Cards this season, posting a 6.75 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, and 13.9% strikeout rate over nine games and eight starts, but hasn't been in the big leagues since July 5. With Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery off the roster, Liberatore should have a long-term spot on the roster, but he needs to display the talent that made him a first-round draft pick before he becomes fantasy relevant.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis while right-hander Kyle Leahy has been recalled in a corresponding move. Liberatore has struggled to find his footing in the big leagues to this point after debuting last season. Across 18 outings (15 starts) with the Cardinals, Liberatore owns a 6.35 ERA, including a 6.75 mark across nine appearances (eight starts) this season. While he owns an improved 4.70 FIP, the southpaw also sports a 5.57 SIERA and a weak 3.8% K-BB% across 32 innings of work. For his part, Leahy owns a 4.03 ERA across 28 appearances at Triple-A, 25 of which have come out of the bullpen.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore is scheduled to take the ball for the series finale in London on Sunday Originally, Jack Flaherty was scheduled to pitch, but he has been scratched due to hip tightness. That being said, Liberatore will take the ball against the red-hot Cubbies. The 23-year-old has struggled heavily during his six appearances with the Cardinals this season. He holds a 6.12 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and an 18/12 K/BB ratio across 25 innings. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streaming option on Sunday.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore turned in a solid outing in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Giants. Liberatore pitched six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts. It was the 23-year-old's first quality start of his career and he now owns a 5.14 ERA with a 6.86 K/9 rate and 4.29 BB/9 rate in five appearances (four starts). It was an encouraging sign for fantasy managers, but things will not get easier for the prospect in his next scheduled start at the Mets. Fantasy managers should avoid starting him until he proves he can pitch well consistently at the big-league level.

Updating a previous report, St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore will make his next start on Friday on the road against the Cleveland Guardians, according to the team. The Cardinals' No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, impressed with five shutout innings and six strikeouts in his major-league debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 17, but he struggled in his first relief appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers last Sunday. The 23-year-old southpaw has a chance to secure a regular rotation spot for the Red Birds with another solid outing on Friday, and he'll probably be a popular streaming option in fantasy in a plus matchup. The Guardians rank dead-last in the American League with a .643 OPS through 48 games.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore will start one of the three games this weekend on the road against the Cleveland Guardians. Liberatore dazzled in his MLB debut in a start on May 17 against the Milwaukee Brewers, throwing five scoreless innings while walking three and striking out six. In last appearance (in relief) on May 21, he gave up two runs in an inning of work against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 23-year-old southpaw is the team's No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and should already be stashed in most fantasy leagues for his upside. It remains to be seen if he'll stick in St. Louis' rotation past this weekend, but he's certainly worth a look as a streamer in a plus matchup against Cleveland.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore will get another start on the team's upcoming Ohio road trip against the Cincinnati Reds, according to manager Oliver Marmol. If a situation arises for Liberatore in the bullpen this weekend, it could be an option, but it doesn't sound like a likely one. Liberatore tossed five scoreless innings with three walks and six strikeouts in his 2023 debut on Wednesday in a win over the Milwaukee Brewers, so the 23-year-old left-hander definitely has earned at least a short-term stay in the team's starting rotation. Liberatore was also pitching very well in the minors before being called up and he's the team's No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. If he's available on your league's waiver wire, pick him up now, especially if you need pitching help.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore will be recalled and start on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Liberatore struggled in his first taste of the majors in 2022, but has been rock solid for Triple-A Memphis this season with a 3.13 ERA and 56 strikeouts over his first 46 innings. His only blemish has been giving up too many walks and he will need to correct that to reach his full potential. Despite the walks, the lefty should be expected to remain part of a struggling Cardinals rotation for now. He is worthy of a speculative add in most formats.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore owns a 3-1 record with a 2.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 36:9 K:BB across 27 2/3 innings for Triple-A Memphis in 2023. Liberatore is the Cardinals' No. 6 prospect and could join the starting rotation soon. He is fine-tuning his velocity, with his fastball ticked up into the mid-90s during spring training. The 23-year-old struggled in his cup of coffee in the majors, posting a 5.97 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and 28:18 K:BB across 34 2/3 innings in 2022. Adam Wainwright (groin) is expected to come off the injured list and rejoin the Cardinals rotation soon. It might take another injury for the Cardinals to promote Liberatore to the big leagues. Fantasy managers should continue to stash the southpaw in all leagues for now.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore is finding success at the topmost level of the minors. In his season debut this past week, he tossed five shutout innings, struck out seven batters, and earned the win. Success is nothing new for Liberatore, who generated 9.08 K/9, 3.21 BB/9, and a 4.27 xFIP in Triple-A last year. He eventually earned a call to the majors, going 2-2 while limiting home runs but struggling to locate the strike zone. It was pretty evident that he would benefit from starting 2023 in the minors, but the Cardinals can only hold him down so long. Within another quality start or two, Liberatore should rejoin the big-league squad. Liberatore is still working on refining his velocity, but he currently sits low-to-mid-90s with his fastball and sinker. These offerings allow him to set the tone in at-bats, but what really keeps hitters on edge is the threat of his curveball, which far and away grades out as his best pitch. He locates it nicely and has no trouble using it to generate swings and misses.

In his first start of the 2023 season, St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore threw five scoreless innings in Triple-A. The southpaw struck out seven and generated 17 whiffs in a 9-1 win over the Charlotte Knights. The 2018 first-round pick has struggled to develop anything from his five-pitch arsenal in years past, but his curveball generated a 77% whiff rate on Friday. After a disastrous 2022 season where he had a 5.00+ ERA at both the Triple-A and major-league levels, the Cardinals' sixth-ranked prospect needs to sustain this level of play to get another chance in their major-league rotation.

The St. Louis Cardinals optioned left-hander Matthew Liberatore and right-hander Dakota Hudson to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. The Cardinals will roll with Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz in their five-man starting rotation to begin the 2023 regular season, so Liberatore and Hudson will begin in the minors. Liberatore is the team's No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, but the 23-year-old southpaw will need to show better life on his fastball if he's going to have continued success once he gets another shot in St. Louis' rotation. Hudson, 28, will work on building up his velocity at Memphis before the Cardinals consider him a rotation option at the big-league level.

The St. Louis Cardinals recalled left-handed starter Matthew Liberatore from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday. The 22-year-old rookie has made eight appearances in his first season in the Majors this year. Six of those eight outings were starts. All told, the left-hander has pitched to a 5.46 ERA and a 5.03 FIP in 29.2 innings of work. He's also logged 25 strikeouts and 14 walks in his time with the Cardinals. St. Louis also optioned pitchers Dakota Hudson and JoJo Romero to Triple-A to make room for Liberatore and right-hander Jordan Hicks, who was activated from the 15-day injured list.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore went six scoreless frames for Triple-A Memphis on Thursday. The lefty allowed just four hits and struck out seven on the evening, but did walk three batters. The 22-year-old has now gone back-to-back starts without allowing a run. Liberatore has gotten some action in the big leagues this season with eight appearances (six starts) and gone 2-1 with an unattractive 5.46 ERA. For Memphis, in 21 starts, the lefty has gone 7-8 with a 5.12 ERA. One of the top pitching prospects entering the season, Liberatore has struggled compared to his previous year. Despite that, he is still just 22 years of age and dynasty managers should remain patient with the potential for him to breakout in 2023 or beyond.

St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore joined the team on Wednesday, though he has yet to be officially added to the Cardinals' roster. According to Cardinals beat writer Derrick Goold, the plan is for Liberatore to make a start during the team's road series against the Philadelphia Phillies this weekend. Liberatore has had mixed results in his first exposure to the majors. He's made four starts. In two of those starts, he's held opponents scoreless, but in the other two, he's allowed a combined eight earned runs. The 22-year-old has also been inconsistent at Triple-A this year, where he's pitched to a 4.03 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP over 10 starts.

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday in order to start Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. There's a good chance that Liberatore will be sent right back to the minors after this start, so fantasy managers shouldn't get too excited, although the matchup against Pittsburgh is a nice one. The 22-year-old southpaw is the team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, but he's allowed eight earned runs on 16 hits over his first 13 innings and three MLB starts this year while walking eight and striking out 10. Liberatore will be slightly more attractive in DFS given the matchup, but those in shallow mixed leagues shouldn't overreact.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Friday. The team's No. 3 prospect will head back to the minors after a few rough outings. The 22-year-old should get more chances to make an impact on the Cardinals roster later in the season. In a corresponding move, right-hander Johan Oviedo has been recalled to take over the spot on the active roster. He is a candidate to start on Saturday, but has struggled in the minors this season. Fantasy managers shouldn't bother taking a risk with Oviedo.

The St. Louis Cardinals optioned left-hander Matthew Liberatore to Triple-A and recalled right-hander Angel Rondon on Sunday before their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Liberatore allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in his major league debut against Pittsburgh on Saturday, but he'll head back to the minors. Rondon gives the Cardinals long-relief options on Sunday with reliever Drew VerHagen unavailable after tossing 2 1/3 innings on Saturday. Liberatore, the team's No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, could get another call-up the next time the team needs a sixth starter for their rotation. The 22-year-old southpaw has allowed 17 earned runs on 36 hits while walking 12 and striking out 46 in 40 innings over seven starts for Memphis so far in 2022.