Liberatore (back) covered 3.2 innings and gave up five earned runs on four hits and five walks while striking out five in his rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Memphis.
Though he didn't escape the fourth inning Tuesday, Liberatore still tossed 78 pitches (45 strikes) while taking the hill for the first time since landing on the 15-day injured list Aug. 22 with lower-back tightness. From a workload standpoint, Liberatore appears ready to re-enter the big-league rotation, but the Cardinals may want to see a more efficient outing in the minors from the young lefty before activating him.