The St. Louis Cardinals are making a move ahead of their clash with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon.
St. Louis announced lefty Brycen Mautz is being promoted back up to the majors. To get him up to the big leagues, the Cardinals opted to designate 2026 trade deadline addition Caleb Ferguson for assignment after just nine games in the majors with the organization.
"LHP Brycen Mautz has been recalled from Memphis (AAA)," the Cardinals announced. "LHP Caleb Ferguson has been designated for assignment."
Memphis' Brycen Mautz (33) pitches during the game between the Memphis Redbirds and Nashville Sounds at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn., on June 19, 2026. Memphis defeated Nashville 4-1. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The 25-year-old made his big league debut back in May amid a breakout campaign and appeared in one game. Mautz came out of the bullpen on May 25 and faced off against the Milwaukee Brewers and allowed two runs in three innings of work. He has spent the vast majority of the 2026 season as a member of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds and has pitched to a 3.78 ERA and an 89-to-65 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 85 2/3 innings pitched. Mautz has appeared in 31 games overall down in Triple-A, including 16 starts.
Mautz started the season in the Memphis starting rotation but has been transitioning to a bullpen role over the last few months. His last 15 appearances have come out of the bullpen. He can help this club from here on out.
Aug 25, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Caleb Ferguson (54) throws against the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Ferguson was acquired by the Cardinals from the Cincinnati Reds in a buzzer-beater deal ahead of the 2026 trade deadline. The Cardinals didn't pay much for him. They sent the Reds $250,000 in international bonus space. But the deal just hasn't worked out for St. Louis.
Ferguson appeared in nine games with the Cardinals before being designated for assignment. He logged an 8.64 ERA and a 9-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 8 1/3 innings pitched. With the Cardinals desperately needing a boost in the bullpen, Ferguson was supposed to be that guy. He had a 4.01 ERA before the trade with Cincinnati in 26 appearances. But he wasn't able to put up that same production in the Cardinals' bullpen.
Now, the Cardinals are moving on for now and turning that spot on the roster over to Mautz.
Even when the Cardinals were thriving earlier in the season, the bullpen has been a weakness all season to this point. Hopefully, adding Mautz to the roster can help and be a step in the right direction for St. Louis.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as Cardinals Recall Breakout Pitcher, Officially Cut Caleb Ferguson .
