Quick-rising Cardinals prospect Quinn Mathews makes Class AAA debut: Minor League Report (2024)

Days after earning his third promotion this season and nearly five months after his opening-day start with Class Low-A Palm Beach, Cardinals prospect Quinn Mathews made his Class AAA debut on Friday with a start for Class AAA Memphis. Mathews allowed three runs on five hits and struck out seven batters while walking three across four innings in Memphis’s 6-2 loss to Iowa at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.

The seven strikeouts from Mathews, 23, improved his minor league lead to 187 over a workload of 130 2/3 innings that spans four levels of minor league baseball. Mathews, a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft, was promoted from Class AA to Class AAA on Wednesday after he posted a 2.41 ERA and totaled 70 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings over nine Class AA starts for Springfield. The 23-year-old left-hander who debuted in the minors this season has a 2.41 ERA in 23 starts.

Mathews threw 89 pitches (54 strikes) in his Class AAA debut. He got 13 whiffs — seven of which came on his slider and four on his changeup — in his first test against Class AAA hitters, some of whom had time in the major leagues. The left-hander’s fastball reached 95.7 mph in the outing and averaged 94.2 mph, per Statcast.

Mathews collected two strikeouts and worked around a walk to complete a scoreless first inning against Iowa. He collected another two strikeouts in the second inning but surrendered a run after doubles from Matt Mervis and Brennen Davis.

After working around two walks for a scoreless third inning, Mathews allowed two runs in the fourth. One run scored when Darius Hill doubled off Mathews on a 0-2 fastball with two outs in the frame to plate Mervis, who doubled to lead off the inning. A third run was scored against Mathews on a single from Miles Mastrobuoni plated Hill.

The 23-year-old ended his outing with a swinging strikeout of James Triantos, who whiffed at a 2-2 slider in the dirt.

Here are other performances from around the Cardinals farm system:

Center fielder Michael Siani, Class AA Springfield (MLB rehab assignment): Siani played a full nine innings in center field, drew one walk in four plate appearances, and stole a base during Springfield’s 6-1 loss to Wichita. Siani’s rehab appearance was his first full game since beginning his rehab assignment on Aug. 27. Siani, who is rehabbing from a right oblique strain, is expected to repeat a nine-inning workload on Saturday with Springfield. He could be activated as early as Sunday when MLB rosters expand.

Infielder JJ Wetherholt, Class Low-A Palm Beach: The seventh overall pick from this year’s MLB draft started at shortstop and went one-for-four with a single and an RBI in Palm Beach’s 4-1 win over Daytona. Wetherholt’s lone hit came in the eighth inning on a groundball to right field that had a 105.6 mph exit velocity. In 96 plate appearances turning pro, the 21-year-old Wetherholt has batted .221 with a .651 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has 11 RBIs in 23 games for Palm Beach.

Robberse activated from IL

Right-hander Sem Robberse was activated from the injured list on Friday, according to the transaction log on his MiLB player page. Robberse, 22, landed on the injured list midway through June with an elbow strain.

Robberse posted a 5-4 record and maintained a 4.65 ERA in 13 outings (11 starts) for Class AAA Memphis before he was shelved.

Robberse, who was acquired in the Jordan Hicks deal at last year’s trade deadline and is on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, totaled six innings and allowed one run in three rehab appearances in Class Low-A before his activation. He completed three innings, allowed one run, and struck out three batters on Tuesday for Palm Beach.