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When Cardinals starter Lance Lynn joined Class AAA Memphis in Des Moines, Iowa, for a rehab start last Sunday, the right-hander had one box to check above all of them.

“The number one thing was being able to walk off the field after pitching and I was able to do that,” Lynn said on Friday at Busch Stadium.

With that box checked and his workload rebuilt, the right-hander is set to come off the injured list on Wednesday for a start against the Cincinnati Reds, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. The start would mark Lynn’s first outing in a big-league game since July 30 before right knee inflammation sidelined him.

“That’s why you’re still here doing your thing, to be a part of things and try to help the team win,” Lynn said ahead of the Cardinals’ series opener vs. the Seattle Mariners at Busch Stadium. “The rehab process was a little longer than I would have liked, but we’re in a place where everything feels pretty good, so now we’re going to go compete.”

As Lynn returns to the rotation, Steven Matz will shift to the bullpen and be available from there as early as Sunday, Marmol said. The Cardinals plan to reevaluate their rotation makeup after Wednesday to determine if that could be a six-man rotation.

“We were able to take a look at Matz. Now we are going to see how … Lance looks and comes out of it,” Marmol said. “We don’t have to make any decision until then. We’ll see how everyone feels, including the other guys, and go from there. But we have time.”

Lynn rebuilt his workload through multiple sessions of live batting practice at Busch Stadium over the past few weeks ahead of making his lone rehab start. In his rehab outing with Memphis, Lynn allowed five runs, seven hits, and two walks, and struck out eight batters in 3 2/3 innings. Lynn reached 93.3. mph with his fastball and had a 39% whiff rate using his six-pitch mix against Class AAA Iowa hitters.

“The box score is the box score down there,” Lynn said. “Velocity was where it needed to be. I got my pitch count up. I was able to mess around with some pitches here and there and do some things. I walked a few guys trying to mess with some things. It’s just like a normal spring training start is what I got out of it.”

Matz, 33, returned to the Cardinals rotation with a start on Tuesday in Milwaukee after he had been sidelined for over four months. Matz allowed three runs and struck out seven batters in 4 2/3 innings in his return start. The left-hander made eight relief appearances a year ago after he experienced struggles as a starter to open the 2023 season.

“Ultimately what I realized is, it’s just the same,” said Matz, who posted a 2.81 ERA in 16 innings of relief last year. “Just come out and execute pitches — quality pitches — just in a little bit of a different scenario. I’ll just be ready to make quality pitches when I have to. That’s really just trying to simplify it as much as I can.”

Once Matz becomes available from the bullpen, Marmol expects the left-hander to be used in more than just a long reliever role. Adding another lefty to the bullpen could allow for Marmol to continue using left-hander Matthew Liberatore in a shorter, higher-leverage role alongside JoJo Romero.

“He can do just about any of it, depending on who’s available and what the game is dictating,” Marmol said of Matz.

Ahead of the shift in roles, Matz said he has treated the past few work days as he would after a regular start. And once he is called upon in that role, he’ll look to treat each opportunity with the same mindset.

“Just whenever they need me, I’m just going to try to get as many outs as possible. Ultimately, that’s all I’m trying to do,” Matz said.

Cardinals hall of fame weekend

The Cardinals are set to induct former pitcher Matt Morris, former third baseman Whitey Kurowski, and longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan into the team’s hall of fame on Saturday. The induction ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Ballpark Village. It is free for fans to attend.

Morris went 101-63 with a 3.61 ERA and started 206 games with the Cardinals. Morris, 50, was a two-time All-Star in his eight seasons as a Cardinal.

Kurowski, who died at the age of 81 in 1999, slashed .286/.366/.455 in 916 as a Cardinal from 1941 to 1949. Kurowski was a member of the Cardinals’ 1942, 1944, and 1946 World Series-winning clubs. He was named to the NL All-Star team in five consecutive seasons. Kurowski will be represented by his family during Saturday’s ceremony.

Duncan, 78, served as Cardinals’ pitching coach for 16 years. His tenure is tied for the fourth-longest in Cardinals history. The Cardinals ranked in the top half in the NL in ERA during 12 seasons with Duncan. The Cardinals made the playoffs nine times and won the 2006 and 2011 World Series with Duncan as their pitching coach.

Prospect Davis promoted to Class AA

Cardinals outfield prospect Chase Davis, the club’s first-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft, was promoted to Class AA Springfield on Friday. The promotion for Davis, 22, is the second of his professional career and comes after he played in 30 games in Class High-A.

While in Class High-A, Davis batted .301 with a .388 on-base percentage and an .839 on-base plus slugging percentage. This season, Davis’ first full professional season, the left-handed-hitting outfielder owns a .253 average and a .767 in 104 games — 74 of which came in Class Low-A.