The St. Louis Cardinals have managed to climb back to the .500 mark, with their recent series against the Colorado Rockies providing an opportunity to get back on track. Kyle Leahy played an important role in that effort, although his relatively early exit raised some questions.
Leahy was pulled after five innings despite throwing only 82 pitches. That decision immediately sparked discussion about whether the Cardinals are being particularly cautious with their starting pitchers. Recent reporting has confirmed that Leahy is operating under some form of innings restriction during his first full season as a starter, and there is a strong possibility that he is not the only member of the rotation facing workload management.
Leahy has accumulated 112.1 innings this season, placing him third among Cardinals pitchers behind Andre Pallante and Michael McGreevy. Both of those pitchers are also approaching the middle of the 100-inning range. Pallante has already reached 162.2 innings in a previous season, while McGreevy threw 153 innings last year. Their experience suggests that the organization has already gotten significant mileage from some of its more dependable arms during this transitional campaign.
However, the question remains: does St. Louis really need to be so careful with its rotation for the remainder of this season?
Liberatore’s situation is different
Matthew Liberatore’s recent struggles have made him the obvious exception. Following another disappointing outing, calls for the Cardinals to move him into the bullpen have become increasingly loud.
Liberatore suffered the loss against Colorado and dropped to 5-9 on the season while carrying a 5.15 ERA. Those numbers are particularly disappointing considering he entered the campaign as the Cardinals’ Opening Day starter.
He has thrown 113.2 innings this season, meaning he is currently on track to finish slightly above his 2025 workload. But his situation may have less to do with an innings cap and more to do with his performance. If the Cardinals decide to remove him from the rotation, it would likely be because they want to find a better option rather than because they are worried about his workload.
Quinn Mathews could potentially become part of that conversation, especially if St. Louis wants to give another pitcher an opportunity.
The rest of the rotation currently consists of Pallante, McGreevy, Leahy and Hunter Dobbins. Dobbins is coming off a season in which he threw 125 innings two years ago and has surpassed 100 innings between the major and minor leagues this year.
Given those circumstances, Pallante and McGreevy do not appear to have an obvious reason to be placed under a strict innings ceiling at this stage of the campaign.
That brings the discussion back to Leahy.
Why limit Leahy now?
Leahy’s situation is particularly interesting because this is his first season making the transition from a trusted bullpen arm into a regular starting role. The Cardinals have been attempting to convert one of their reliable relievers into a starter instead of making a significant investment in the free-agent or trade market.
So far, the experiment has produced respectable results.
Leahy has matched or surpassed Pallante in several important statistical categories. Although Pallante has the advantage in wins and ERA, Leahy has kept pace or performed better in a number of other areas. Considering the adjustment required to move into a rotation role, the 29-year-old has handled the transition reasonably well after experiencing some difficulties early in the season.
That raises a legitimate question: why should the Cardinals suddenly restrict him?
Leahy has demonstrated impressive durability throughout his professional career. According to MLB’s transaction records, he has never spent time on the injured list. Last season, he was asked to make 62 appearances, and he has already made 22 starts this season.
That workload suggests that the Cardinals have a pitcher who has proven capable of handling substantial responsibility.
There is also a financial element to consider. Leahy is entering his first year of arbitration, and his performance could help establish a favorable salary path for the next several seasons. Of course, his health remains critical, but the Cardinals also need to determine what they can realistically expect from him moving forward.
Giving him a full opportunity to establish himself as a starter could be valuable.
Who would replace him?
Perhaps the biggest argument against aggressively limiting Leahy is the lack of an obvious replacement.
Brycen Mautz is one possibility. However, Mautz has spent time working from the bullpen and has generally been useful in that role. That creates another problem for St. Louis because the bullpen itself could use reinforcements.
If Mautz is moved into the rotation, the Cardinals would lose another potentially valuable relief option.
There are other pitching prospects available, but some may not yet be ready for regular major-league work. Jurrangelo Cijntje, Pete Hansen and Mason Molina are among the names who could eventually enter the conversation, but expecting them to immediately handle a major-league start may be premature.
Tekoah Roby is also approaching full health, while Cooper Hjerpe has continued to make progress during his rehabilitation assignment and has advanced to Triple-A.
Hjerpe might be the most intriguing candidate of the group. However, even though he has been a starter during his return from injury, using him primarily as a short-relief option could make more sense initially.
That could leave the Cardinals relying on bullpen games or opener arrangements whenever a rotation spot becomes unavailable. Mautz or Hjerpe could handle a short stint before another pitcher takes over for the bulk of the game.
For a rebuilding club, though, that approach does not necessarily offer much value.
The Cardinals need to balance caution and development
Mautz should probably receive another start or two before the season ends, but beyond him, there does not appear to be an obvious candidate who needs an extended opportunity right now.
The Cardinals have already indicated that some of Leahy’s starts will either be skipped or shortened. The reasoning behind that strategy is understandable. They want to protect a pitcher making the difficult transition from relief work to a full-time starting role.
Still, the timing makes the decision somewhat questionable.
If Leahy is healthy, performing adequately and capable of handling a larger workload, the Cardinals could benefit from allowing him to continue building experience. The organization is in a transitional phase, and every remaining start can provide valuable information about which pitchers should remain part of the long-term plan.
The Cardinals therefore need to determine whether protecting Leahy’s arm outweighs the developmental benefits of giving him additional opportunities.
For now, the answer is not completely obvious.
St. Louis also has to evaluate what the rest of the rotation can offer. Liberatore’s struggles remain a concern, while Pallante and McGreevy have already shouldered significant workloads. Dobbins is another pitcher whose workload must be monitored carefully.
Ultimately, the Cardinals’ priority should be finding the right balance between protecting their pitchers and learning as much as possible about the roster.
The Rockies series provided mixed emotions. The Cardinals managed to return to .500, but the overall offensive performance left plenty to be desired. The team stranded 11 runners and received only five innings from Liberatore, making the game more frustrating than encouraging.
Still, there was at least one memorable moment: Jordan Walker launched a home run, and one lucky fan managed to take home the baseball.
For the Cardinals, the rest of the season should be about more than simply accumulating wins. The organization needs to identify which players can contribute during its next competitive window. That makes every opportunity to evaluate its pitchers important.
If Leahy is healthy and continues to show that he can handle the demands of starting, perhaps the Cardinals should reconsider how aggressively they manage his innings.
An innings restriction may be appropriate in certain circumstances, especially for pitchers with injury histories or significant workload increases. But in Leahy’s case, his durability, experience and current performance suggest that there may be a strong argument for letting him continue pitching.
The Cardinals have plenty of questions to answer before the season concludes. How they manage Leahy could be one of the more important decisions as they attempt to determine what their pitching staff should look like moving forward.
