Back on Aug. 11, when the Cardinals were trying to protecta 1-0 lead against the Phillies, manager Oliver Marmol turned to newly acquiredleft-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 goback to the bullpen, and they got fortunate that veteran right-hander RyneStanek 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 ofwork, the Cards handed the ball to Ferguson to face slugger Oneil Cruz . ThePittsburg slugger ripped Ferguson's second pitch 105.4 mph for what could havebeen a run-scoring double, but it skimmed off Reynolds' heel for an automaticout.
Ferguson's continued struggles – even when he got bailedout by teammates or foes who failed to dodge hard-hit balls – ultimately got himdesignated for assignment on Saturday by the Cardinals. Brycen Mautz , theCardinals' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2025, was recalled from Triple-AMemphis to replace Ferguson on the roster and in the Cards' bullpen.
Mautz, 25, was promoted to the Cardinals on May 24 where hewas supposed to make a start against the Reds , but that game was washed out byrain. He ultimately made his MLB debut on May 25 in relief when he allowed twoearned runs and four hits over three innings of work.
Primarily a starter since being picked in the second roundof the 2022 MLB Draft, Mautz was moved to the bullen while in Triple-A Memphisthis season. In his 31 games, he made 16 starts and 15 relief appearances. Hehas pitched to a 3.78 ERA while posting two saves and striking out 89 over 852/3 innings of work.
With Cardinals' standout starter Kyle Leahy limited to 51pitches on Saturday, the Cardinals used Mautz in a "piggyback" situation. Heallowed a run in his first inning, but it was unearned because of Joshua Baez'stwo-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 withthe Reds just before the MLB Trade Deadline to replace JoJo Romero , who hadbeen 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'soutster from the Cardinals.
