St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Quinn Mathews allowed one hit and two walks over five scoreless innings as he picked up the win against Triple-A Norfolk. Mathews was efficient in this outing, needing only 72 pitches. He generated 13 swings and misses on 31 swings for an excellent 42 percent whiff rate. The left-hander has been good through three starts in June, holding a 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 17:6 K:BB in 13 innings. His WHIP for the season still sits at a poor 1.55 as he's dealt with inconsistent control. He has walked at least three batters in five of nine starts this season. Mathews is trending in the right direction and should see time at the major-league level at some point this summer. His strikeout upside isn't huge, though, which limits his fantasy relevance to deeper formats.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Quinn Mathews (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with the team's Florida Complex League affiliate on Monday. The southpaw threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out four in the outing. It's not clear how many starts the 24-year-old will make at that level, but an eventual return to Triple-A Memphis will take place once the rehab is complete. The 6-foot-5 hurler posted a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 26.8 percent K-BB% in 26 starts across various levels of the minors last year, recording 202 strikeouts in 143 1/3 IP and earning Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors. The Cardinals' second-ranked prospect should push for a call-up to the big leagues later this year, assuming command and velocity are intact upon his return to Memphis, which were some catalysts for his IL stint in the first place. The closer it looks to a debut, the lefty will become one of the higher priority prospect stashes.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Quinn Mathews (shoulder) is set to begin a throwing program on Wednesday or Thursday. Mathews was placed on the 7-day injured list with shoulder soreness. However, it appears this injury is not overly serious, and the top pitching prospect is already set to begin building back up. After an impressive 2024 campaign, Mathews took a step back through the early part of 2025 before his injury. Across his first 10 1/3 innings at Triple-A Springfield, the southpaw posted a 6.10 ERA with a 2.52 WHIP. He tallied just seven punchouts and served up 15 walks. However, last summer, across 143 1/3 innings split between Low-A, High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, the No.2-ranked prospect in the system held a 2.76 ERA with a stellar 0.98 WHIP. If he can return to the mound soon, he should still be in the mix to make his MLB debut later this summer.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Quinn Mathews (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list on Monday afternoon. The team did not provide a reason why the budding southpaw hit the injured list. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status. Last summer, Mathews enjoyed an impressive campaign in the minor leagues as he began the season with Low-A and was able to finish the campaign with Triple-A. Across 126 1/3 innings in Low-A through Double-A, Mathews held a stellar 2.27 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP. During his first look at Triple-A, he allowed 12 runs across 16 innings. During the start of the 2025 campaign, Mathews showed similar struggles at Triple-A, posting a 6.10 ERA with a 2.57 WHIP across 10 1/3 innings. This injury will likely keep Mathews in the minor leagues through most of the first half of the campaign.