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Cardinals promote surging prospect who could impact the pitching staff soon

More depth in Memphis means more flexibility for the Cardinals to shake up their pitching staff.
Texas Tech's Mason Molina (21) pitches against Gonzaga in game two of the baseball series, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field.
Texas Tech's Mason Molina (21) pitches against Gonzaga in game two of the baseball series, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field. | Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a move that has gone under the radar for many fans of the St. Louis Cardinals, the club has reportedly promoted left-handed pitching prospect Mason Molina to Memphis, rewarding his breakout season and bringing him a step closer to making an impact for St. Louis soon.

Molina, who the Cardinals acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Phil Maton trade at last year's trade deadline, has been dealing for Double-A Springfield this season in his first shot at the level. In 14 starts, Molina has posted a 2.87 ERA, striking out 82 batters over the course of 69 innings, including a dominant shutout over 6.2 innings for Springfield in his final start at the Double-A level.

At 22 years old, Molina is a young arm with a ton of potential, and while he isn't ranked among the Cardinals' top prospects currently, he's certainly turning heads with his development this year and is now one level away from his own Major League debut.

Mason Molina may soon impact Cardinals Major League roster, even if he's not called up

Yes, Molina may have an impact on the Cardinals' roster very soon, even if he's not the arm they call up to make that happen. While Kyle Leahy has seemed to settle into his spot in the rotation as of late, Matthew Liberatore has really struggled this season, and it may soon be time for the Cardinals to try a different arm in that spot.

Hunter Dobbins and Brycen Mautz are already on the 40-man roster and could be called upon, and Quinn Mathews has been looking sharper and sharper for Memphis as the year has gone on. The Cardinals will likely want to see an extended run from Molina in Memphis before even considering a call-up to St. Louis, but his presence in Memphis could allow the Cardinals' front office to feel the freedom to call on one of those other names.

This is a big development for the Cardinals' farm system as a whole, as churning out young pitching has been a struggle for a number of years, and now they have a stock that is building and close to impacting the Major League roster. This is also an encouraging sign for the Cardinals' pro scouting group and player development group to come together, target a player they really like, and now turn the final two months of Phil Maton into a very intriguing pitching prospect.

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