Cardinals News: Minor league history, tornado recovery efforts, Quinn Mathews rehab

Here's a quick roundup of various noteworthy items relating to the St. Louis Cardinals recently.

Memphis Redbirds manager Ben Johnson nears history.

Ben Johnson was named manager of the Memphis Redbirds prior to the 2019 season, and he's been the club's manager ever since. Johnson is a native of Memphis, and he attended Germantown High School.

During his time as manager of the Memphis Redbirds, the team has gone 367-383, along with a 4-4 record in the playoffs. While the club hasn't found much success with Johnson at the helm, the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate has produced ample major leaguers while Johnson has been at the helm. Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Ivan Herrera, Andre Pallante, and Matthew Liberatore all played under Ben Johnson and are now seeing success in the majors.

The previous win leader for the Memphis Redbirds was Chris Maloney. Maloney preceded both Johnson and former manager Stubby Clapp. With a win on Tuesday, Ben Johnson will surpass Maloney on the all-time Memphis Redbirds win list.

St. Louis Cardinals aid in tornado relief efforts.

On May 16th, an EF3 tornado blew through parts of St. Louis County and the city, causing massive destruction to several buildings. The 150 MPH twister traveled about eight miles before dissipating. It left a trail of broken-down buildings, uprooted trees, and misplaced items throughout Clayton, the Central West End, and parts of North St. Louis.

To help aid in relief efforts, the St. Louis Cardinals are working with the Red Cross to raise funds and help the city recover. For information, resources, or to help support relief efforts in St. Louis, please visit http://RedCross.org/Missouri or http://Cardinals.com/RedCross.

Quinn Mathews begins his rehab assignment.

The St. Louis Cardinals' top pitching prospect,Quinn Mathews, went on the IL on April 14th with shoulder soreness. The diagnosis was relatively positive, as the lefty's injury was nothing more serious than some soreness. In his last start before going on the IL, Mathews' fastball averaged just 92.6 MPH, a two-point drop from his usual average. He allowed four runs in just 2.2 innings, and he walked six batters. Something was clearly wrong at that point.

Mathews has spent just over a month recovering from his soreness, and he'll officially begin a rehab assignment. According to Brian Walton, Mathews has been assigned to play in the Florida Complex League while he restarts his buildup.

Mathews is the club's best pitching prospect. After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, Mathews flew through the organization's minor leagues. He pitched at all four levels last year, and he had a strong spring showing this year in Jupiter. He threw only six innings before being moved to minor-league camp, but Mathews didn't allow a run in his two outings, and he struck out nine batters.

Having Quinn Mathews start his rehab process now is advantageous. The Cardinals' pipeline has experienced several key injuries to its starting pitching depth, including injuries to Zack Thompson, Tink Hence, Cooper Hjerpe, and, most recently, Sem Robberse. While Mathews is facing an uphill battle back to Memphis, his return to health is a positive sign for a depleted farm system.

In Mathews' first rehab start on Monday, he went two innings while allowing one hit with no walks and four strikeouts. Not a bad start to his rehab assignment.