Ever since Steven Matz went down with a lower back strain on May 1st, the Cardinals have struggled to fill his spot in the rotation. Some off days early in the month allowed the team to get by with just 4 regular starting pitchers, but Matthew Liberatore has had to fill in for three starts that would have otherwise been Matz’s. The front office has botched this situation thus far.
As of now, there is no timetable regarding Steven Matz’s return. The last update, per John Denton of MLB.com, was that Matz hadn’t begun a throwing program as of May 12th. He instead received another pain-killing injection. Matz hasn’t resumed playing catch at any distance, and his 15-day stint could quickly transition into a 60-day IL placement if he doesn’t show improvement soon.
Tink Hence
Bringing up Tink Hence, a 21-year-old who has pitched fewer than 100 innings of baseball in AA, would be the boldest of decisions. The Cardinals promoting a pitcher from Double-A has a brief history (Jordan Hicks for one), so they’ll be extremely hesitant to do it this time.
Zack Greinke
I’m starting off this list with the two least likely options. Zack Greinke is only marginally more likely than Tink Hence, if that. Greinke is currently a free agent, and he’s been working out in Arizona to stay as fresh as can be should a call come his way.
A trade for a starting pitcher
This option would be the best for the team and organization in my opinion. There are already whispers of starting pitchers being available on the open market, and the Cardinals could jump their competition by trading for one now. The San Diego Padres boosted their playoff odds when they traded for Luis Arraez a couple of weeks ago, and the Cardinals could do the same if they trade for a starter now.
Zack Thompson or Andre Pallante
The Cardinals optioned left-handed Zack Thompson to AAA Memphis on April 24th with outfielder Jordan Walker. The plan for Thompson was to get stretched out to potentially help as a starter this year or next. He has been yo-yoed his entire career.
Sem Robberse
Sem Robberse is the best option available internally to replace Steven Matz and Matthew Liberatore as the fifth starter. Robberse has done all he needs to in the minors, and it’s nearing time that he gets his chance in St. Louis with the big league club.
Leave a Reply