The Cardinals reassigned Mathews to minor-league camp Monday.
Mathews showed encouraging signs in his last Grapefruit League appearance in racking up seven strikeouts over 2.2 innings, but he was always destined to open the season in the rotation at Triple-A Memphis. The southpaw will be seeking a bounce-back year after he stumbled in 2025 with a 3.93 ERA and 107:74 K:BB over 94 innings with Memphis.