Cardinals Suddenly Running Out of Time With Matt Pushard

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Pushard (67) pitches in his major league debut in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals Suddenly Running Out of Time With Matt Pushard

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated May 14, 2026 5:00 PM ET

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The St. Louis Cadinals have a bullpen decision to make in the very near future.

St. Louis selected right-handed pitcher Matt Pushard in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft in the Major League phase. Pushard was the No. 7 overall pick in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Clearly, the Cardinals saw something in the 28-year-old.

When you select a guy in this phase of the Rule 5 Draft, there are rules that need to be followed afterward to keep the player. First, teams must pay the team they are taking the player from $100,000. Then, the club has to keep the selected player on the active roster for the entire season, unless there is an injury. If a club opts to take the Rule 5 player off the roster, they can't be sent to the minors without being offered back to the original team if they clear waivers. If they are claimed off waivers, the next team takes on the Rule 5 rules.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Pushard made the Cardinals out of camp and pitched in one game before being placed on the Injured List. The righty was placed on the Injured List on March 31 due to right knee patellar tendonitis. He began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on April 15. Now, the clock is ticking. When a pitcher begins a minor league rehab assignment, they have 30 days to be activated or be optioned. The 30-day mark will be on Friday. So, the Cardinals will have to decide whether to bring Pushard back up to the big league roster, or risk losing him.

The 28-year-old has made 11 appearances down in Triple-A and has a 3.55 ERA across 12 2/3 innings of work. Of his 11 appearances, eight have been scoreless.

For the Cardinals, the bullpen remains an area of concern. The Cardinals are 23rd in the league right now with a 4.62 bullpen ERA. At this point, it wouldn't hurt to roll the dice on the righty and see if he can help to improve the bullpen. If not, the Cardinals are going to risk losing him.

Fortunately, he's healthy right now, clearly. You don't make 11 appearances on a minor league rehab assignment if you weren't now healthy. The Cardinals clearly have been giving him plenty of opportunities to get on track. Now, the Cardinals have just one more day to make a decision on his fate with the club.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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