Cardinals Announce Decision Regarding Former First-Round Draft Pick's 2025 Role

The St. Louis Cardinals are officially two weeks away from Opening Day 2025 and must make several significant roster decisions within the coming days.

One of the Cardinals' top priorities will be determining who will be the club's Opening Day starting center fielder. As it stands, Michael Siani and Victor Scott II are competing for the role, with Lars Nootbaar filling in as backup to whoever earns the position.

Also, the Cardinals must determine how they'll utilize a young left-handed pitcher St. Louis has used in the rotation and bullpen throughout his career with the organization. Fortunately, it sounds as if the club has a plan for the southpaw.

"Additional news today from John Mozeliak: Matthew Liberatore will break camp with the team (of course) and likely be in the bullpen in the majors, but the team sees that as a pathway to the rotation and may yet use him there, pending needs," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reported Thursday morning.

Liberatore has logged an 8-12 record with a 4.99 ERA, 150-to-71 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .269 batting average against and a 1.43 WHIP throughout his three-year career with the Cardinals.

After being selected 16th overall in the first round of the 2018 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis traded first baseman Jose Martinez and 2021 American League Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena in exchange for catcher Edgardo Rodriguez and LHP Liberatore.

Since joining the Cardinals in the 2020 offseason, Liberatore has deviated from the rotation to the bullpen. Last year, the 25-year-old pitched in 60 games but recorded only six starts -- posting a 3-4 record with a 4.40 ERA, 76-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .251 batting average against and a 1.27 WHIP in 86 innings pitched for the Cardinals.

St. Louis doesn't currently have a solidified rotation, with ace Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas as the only hurlers guaranteed a spot. Variables such as Andre Pallante, Steven Matz and Michael McGreevy could see action out of the bullpen this year.

Wherever Liberatore is used this upcoming season, let's hope he has a more prolific campaign than the first three of his young big-league career.