The St. Louis Cardinals designated left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson for assignment on Saturday, ending a brief and unsuccessful stint that began at the trade deadline.
St. Louis recalled fellow southpaw Brycen Mautz from Triple-A Memphis to take Ferguson’s place on the 26-man roster ahead of a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ferguson, 30, has been a major-league pitcher since June 6, 2018, when he debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Over eight seasons he has also pitched for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, and now the Cardinals. Career numbers through this year include a 25-17 record, a 3.80 ERA, and 396 strikeouts in 360 innings.
St. Louis acquired him from Cincinnati on Aug. 3 in exchange for $250,000 in international bonus-pool space, a low-cost add after the Cardinals traded left-hander JoJo Romero. With the Reds, Ferguson had been serviceable: a 4.01 ERA in 24 2/3 innings across 26 appearances.
In St. Louis, the results collapsed. In nine games and 8 1/3 innings he posted an 8.64 ERA, allowing eight earned runs with nine strikeouts and eight walks.
He had pitched on three of the previous four days, and a scoreless third of an inning Friday was only the fourth time he did not allow an earned run in a Cardinals uniform.
Manager Oliver Marmol and the front office chose a fresher arm. Mautz, 25 and the organization’s 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, made his MLB debut in May and has a 3.78 ERA in 31 games at Memphis this season. He is already on the 40-man roster, so the move also opens a 40-man spot.
Marmol indicated Mautz could piggyback starter Kyle Leahy as the club manages innings and a strained bullpen.
Because the trade deadline has passed, Ferguson can change teams only via waivers. A claiming club would assume the remaining portion of his $4.5 million 2026 salary, roughly $750,000.
If he clears waivers, his service time allows him to reject a minor-league assignment and become a free agent. The Cardinals would then still owe most of the leftover salary.
The move fits a season of bullpen shuffling for a 68-68 club sitting third in the NL Central. Ferguson was supposed to stabilize the left side after deadline selling.
Instead, command problems and runs allowed made him expendable after less than a month. Whether another team takes a flyer on an eight-year veteran or he hits the open market, his Cardinals chapter was short and costly.
