Potential 2026 Cardinals starter to receive his first shot in the rotation

The St. Louis Cardinals have learned just about all they can as they wrap up a 2025 season that sees them hovering around .500 and recently eliminated from playoff contention. The "runway" season has provided plenty of disappointing revelations, along with some pleasant surprises, and Chaim Bloom will be forced to make several tough decisions based on those results when he officially takes over as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations in 2026.

However, as the Cardinals head into their final series of the season, there is one development that is worth keeping an eye on regarding the Cardinals' starting rotation next year.

Kyle Leahy is set to start a game for the first time in his career.

According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, the Cardinals have decided to shut down Matthew Liberatore for the remainder of the year and are likely to use Leahy as a starter in his place in their game against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 28.

It's expected to be a bullpen game for the Cardinals, where Leahy will probably throw three or four innings before being replaced. Leahy was a bright spot in the bullpen this season, pitching to a 3.18 ERA in 85 innings, and there have been whispers of him potentially staking a claim to a spot in the rotation in 2026.

Leahy is not new to going longer distances; he spent time as a starter in the minor leagues, and with the Cardinals' rotation cupboard seemingly bare next year, the team may opt to stretch Leahy out in the offseason to prepare him for a rotation spot in a pitching staff that is a complete unknown outside of perhaps Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy. The Cardinals may not re-sign Miles Mikolas, and Sonny Gray expressed a not-so-subtle desire to be dealt in the offseason. Andre Pallante may have the inside track for the final rotation spot as of now.

Many fans are likely checked out of the Cardinals by this point in the season, especially as the team has nothing to play for. But it may be worth taking a gander at Leahy and seeing how he performs in a somewhat more extended look before possibly be fully deployed as a starter when next season rolls around.