4 young Cardinals pitchers who could benefit from a bullpen role, 3 who would not

Quinn Mathews should only start games for the Cardinals this year.

Already optioned to minor league camp, Quinn Mathews is set to begin the year with the Memphis Redbirds, but it won't be long before he takes the ball for St. Louis.

Mathews' meteoric rise in his first season of professional baseball saw him rise through four minor league levels, and even though he did struggle a bit in his brief stint with Memphis, he was clearly someone the club needed to have on their radar as camp began.

Mathews only made one start for the Cardinals in camp, but he looked excellent against the top and middle of the Toronto Blue Jays' order, striking out three batters and allowing zero runs in that outing. I would have loved to see Mathews make a couple more starts before they optioned him, but he should be one of their first calls this year when a rotation spot is available.

I highly doubt the Cardinals would consider using Mathews out of the bullpen this year unless it were late in the season and they just wanted to add his arm to the mix. But my guess is that by the middle of the summer, Mathews is in their rotation and will remain there.

Once again though, their current rotation situation complicates that. McGreevy should be the next man up, so barring multiple injuries or the Cardinals deciding to part ways with someone, Mathews is blocked at the moment. But should he throw well in Memphis to begin the year, it will be difficult to keep one of the top prospects in baseball down in Triple-A if there is a struggling arm in that five-man group.