Cardinals Announce Matthew Liberatore News After Leaving Royals Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore was having a breakout season before Thursday night’s outing vs. the Kansas City Royals. However, the 25-year-old might have had a stroke of bad luck.
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Liberatore came into the game with a 3-4 record, a 3.08 ERA, and a 1.06 WHIP across 11 starts. The 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pounder then allowed seven earned runs on eight hits in just four innings pitched before leaving the game early.
However, Liberatore didn’t exit due to his struggles. Rather, the fourth-year veteran left the field alongside St. Louis’ training staff for health reasons, via Cardinals radio host Matt Pauley.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (52)© Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
“Not a good development as the training staff removes Matthew Liberatore from this game,” he reported.
Liberatore was replaced by southpaw reliever John King, who pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings. The team later announced that the left-hander was removed due to “fatigue-related issues,” via MLB.com’s John Denton.
The Tampa Bay Rays selected Liberatore No. 16 overall in the 2018 MLB Draft. They then traded the Arizona native to the Cardinals along with Edgardo Rodriguez and their Competitive Balance Round B Draft Pick for José Martinez, Randy Arozarena, and St. Louis’ Competitive Balance Round A Draft Pick in January 2020. Liberatore made his MLB debut in 2022.
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Liberatore’s ERA ranked 31st in baseball and his WHIP 20th heading into Thursday. He struggled in previous years, as he posted a 5.97 ERA across nine appearances in 2022 and a 5.25 ERA across 22 appearances in 2023. He followed up with a 4.40 ERA across 60 outings in 2024.
The Cardinals will host a three-game series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers starting on Friday.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.