The Cardinals shuffled the deck in their bullpen again on Saturday when they designated veteran left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson for assignment and recalled starter-turned-reliever Brycen Mautz from Triple-A Memphis.
Back on Aug. 11, when the Cardinals were trying to protect a 1-0 lead against the Phillies, manager Oliver Marmol turned to newly acquired left-handed Caleb Ferguson to face the top of the order.
However, after Ferguson walked Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper to load the bases with no one out, the Cardinals had to go back to the bullpen, and they got fortunate that veteran right-hander Ryne Stanek worked out of the jam and kept Philadelphia scoreless.
Fast forward to Friday night at Busch Stadium, and after Ryan Fernandez issued a two-out walk to Bryan Reynolds in his third inning of work, the Cards handed the ball to Ferguson to face slugger Oneil Cruz. The Pittsburg slugger ripped Ferguson’s second pitch 105.4 mph for what could have been a run-scoring double, but it skimmed off Reynolds’ heel for an automatic out.
Ferguson’s continued struggles – even when he got bailed out by teammates or foes who failed to dodge hard-hit balls – ultimately got him designated for assignment on Saturday by the Cardinals. Brycen Mautz, the Cardinals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2025, was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to replace Ferguson on the roster and in the Cards’ bullpen.
Mautz, 25, was promoted to the Cardinals on May 24 where he was supposed to make a start against the Reds, but that game was washed out by rain. He ultimately made his MLB debut on May 25 in relief when he allowed two earned runs and four hits over three innings of work.
Primarily a starter since being picked in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Mautz was moved to the bullen while in Triple-A Memphis this season. In his 31 games, he made 16 starts and 15 relief appearances. He has pitched to a 3.78 ERA while posting two saves and striking out 89 over 85 2/3 innings of work.
With Cardinals’ standout starter Kyle Leahy limited to 51 pitches on Saturday, the Cardinals used Mautz in a “piggyback” situation. He allowed a run in his first inning, but it was unearned because of Joshua Baez’s two-base error that allowed Jake Mangum to scamper all the way to third base. In his second inning of work, Mautz struck out Nick Gonzales and Jake Mangum, but he yielded a three-run homer to Rafael Flores Jr. when he 3-2 slider was up in the zone.
As for Ferguson, the Cardinals acquired him in a deal with the Reds just before the MLB Trade Deadline to replace JoJo Romero, who had been dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers along with right-handed starter Dustin May. Ferguson appeared in nine games with the Cardinals and posted an 8.64 ERA. Eight walks in 8 1/3 innings of relief work ultimately led to Ferguson’s outster from the Cardinals.
