The St. Louis Cardinals have selected RHP Matt Pushard in the 1st-round of the MLB Rule 5 Draft from the Miami Marlins. Pushard, 28, was 4-5 with a 3.61 ERA, 49 games, 1 start, 5 holds, 4 saves, 62.1 innings, 73 strikeouts, 23 walks, and a whip of 1.16 in Triple-A Jacksonville in 2025. The wins, games, innings, and strikeouts were all career highs for Pushard.

Pushard had a career high (9) saves in 2023, combined between Single-A Jupiter, High-A Beloit, and Double-A Pensacola. 

In 2024, Pushard had a career high (14) holds, combined between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville.

Overall, Pushard has played 4 minor league seasons. Pushard is 10-12 with a 3.21 ERA, 134 games, 1 start, 20 holds, 14 saves, 174 innings, 199 strikeouts, 67 walks, and a whip of 1.11.

The Cardinals 40-man roster now stands at 40.

Pushard seems like he’s a late bloomer. Pushard seems like he’s the most MLB-ready reliever. Pushard is great at getting strikeouts. It will be interesting to see if Pushard can make the Cardinals Opening Day roster in spring training.