Struggling Cardinals reliever starting to turn things around in a big way

In the month of June, St. Louis Cardinals relievers rank 21st in Major League Baseball in ERA (4.64). Riley O'Brien, JoJo Romero, and several others have struggled mightily. One reliever, however, has seemed to have found his touch as the weather starts to heat up. Matt Svanson has shown glimpses of his 2025 self over his last dozen appearances.

Matt Svanson had one of the worst starts to the year, and he was demoted on May 24th to Triple-A Memphis. Up to that point in the year, Svanson had an 8.77 ERA. In only half of his 24 appearances did he escape without allowing a run, and he allowed three or more runs in five outings. Suffice it to say, a demotion and reset were necessary.

Since then, Matt Svanson has been electric in relief. His final two outings before his demotion resulted in him throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless work while allowing just one hit, walking one, and striking out three.

The righty reliever has yet to allow a run in the month of June. Since May 21st, Svanson has been able to lower his ERA from 9.64 to 6.55; he's brought his ERA down more than three points in only eight outings.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Matt Svanson has become a stabilizing force in the bullpen.

Matt Svanson entered the 2026 season as a reliever on the rise. He finished his rookie season in 2025 with a 1.94 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. He became an essential late-inning and multi-inning reliever for Oli Marmol last year, and he figured to slot in at the back of the bullpen in 2026 with Riley O'Brien, JoJo Romero, and Ryne Stanek.

Unfortunately for both Svanson and the Cardinals, he came out of the gates ice-cold this year. He allowed five home runs in his first 24 appearances this year; he gave up only three long balls last year in 39 outings.

June has provided shades of Svanson's 2025 self. He's struck out seven batters in 8.2 innings while walking only two. He's gotten more than three outs in four of his six outings this month, showing he can be a valuable commodity for the bullpen. Most importantly, Svanson has started appearing later in games while the rest of the late-game options have faltered.

How has Matt Svanson reversed his performance this year? He's finding far greater success with his sinker.

His sinker, which was his best pitch last year, has become his best pitch once again this month. According to Baseball Savant, Svanson's sinker had a +11 run value last year. This year, it has a -2 run value. For Matt Svanson to be productive, he needs his sinker to be at its best. This sinker, paired with a plus sweeper, makes him a threat late in games.

The Cardinals are outperforming expectations this year, and if they want to continue this run of success, they'll need a stout bullpen. If Matt Svanson can finish out the season the way he performed in 2025, it would be a welcome surprise. JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek are trade candidates, so reinforcements late in the game will be necessary for the second half of the season. Matt Svanson could be just the guy.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow