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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The day after Michael McGreevy affixed an exclamation point to his springlong attempt to force the Cardinals’ consideration of a six-man rotation, another candidate who shoved his way into the conversation gets to start his claim.

Matthew Liberatore will make his first start of Grapefruit League play this spring on Saturday and seek to build upon an impressive camp that has the Cardinals rethinking the plan to use him in relief.

“He’s come in behind guys, and we’re giving him the opportunity to start his own game – the way we set it up weeks ago, and we’ll follow through with that,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday at Clover Park after a 3-2 loss to the Mets on a split-squad day. “I’m looking forward to seeing him take that start.”

Asked what the lefty could do in one day to sway the decision, Marmol smiled.

“He’s had a tremendous camp,” the manager replied.

The Cardinals intend to finalize their 26-player roster for opening day ahead of their departure from Florida on Monday morning for an exhibition game that night in Memphis. The Cardinals have few decisions yet to make — center field stands out as Victor Scott II homered for a fourth time this spring. He has had a “phenomenal” camp, per the the manager. Scott is dueling Michael Siani for the last position player roster spot.

On the pitching side, the Cardinals are weighing the benefit of a six-man rotation, long reliever, and Liberatore’s role. They have had long discussions in the past week about how to organize a six-man rotation for the opening weeks of the season. The front office previously said that Liberatore will break with the major-league club: role TBD.

With Chris Roycroft winning a spot on the right side of the bullpen and only 14 pitchers remaining in camp the final contest, with everyone healthy, centers around McGreevy, long reliever Kyle Leahy, and Liberatore’s role.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing �Libby’ start,” the manager offered.

McGreevy continued to set the bar Friday.

The right-hander pitched five scoreless and efficient innings against the Mets. He needed only 58 pitches to get through the 15 outs, and he had to trot out to the bullpen to reach the targeted pitch count for arm stamina. Of McGreevy’s 15 outs in the game, 12 either came via strikeout (four) or groundout (eight). McGreevy got seven swings and misses, five on his slider. And he pitched around two errors before upshifting into a relentless attack on the strike zone.

Of his final 20 pitches, 17 were strikes.

He got six outs on them.

“He’s poised,” Marmol said. “He’s got a really good demeanor out there and that is going to really serve him well for a long time. Just because he’s not sped up by things. He continues to attack and knows what gives him success and he doesn’t shy away from it. A couple of errors. Balls that were misplayed. And unfazed. Unfazed.”

McGreevy, the Cardinals’ first-round pick the 2021 draft, is building off three superb starts last season in the majors, including an eight-inning gem at San Francisco to close the year.

Liberatore is coming off a season in which he found his groove in relief, rising into a higher-leverage role from the left side late in the season.

The centerpiece prospect of the 2020 trade with Tampa Bay that included Randy Arozarena, Liberatore start spring training with seven nearly perfect innings. In five appearances, all in relief, the lefty has struck out as many batters (seven) as he’s allowed hits (seven).

Leahy began spring on a starters’ schedule but has moved into relief and struck out 13 batters against seven hits in 11 innings and seven appearances.

The Cardinals organized their starters for this final stretch of exhibition games around the assignments for the opening series, which begins Thursday at Busch Stadium. Sonny Gray has been named the opener and Erick Fedde will start the second game. Liberatore’s start on Saturday slides in between those two and the wish to keep Gray and Fedde on five-day rest.

Andre Pallante is in the rotation to start the year, a team official told the Post-Dispatch. He has his schedule rewritten so that he starts Monday in Memphis and neither he nor Fedde go an extended time between starts.

Arenado, McGee

on backfields

Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado returned to the backfields for at-bats Friday so that he could get them by the bulk. Arenado hit second in almost every half inning played in a simulated game with Cardinals minor-leaguers. That gave him a chance to see many pitches without having to wait his turn in the lineup or play the field in an exhibition game.

Arenado has been doing this routinely to work on his timing and swing.

One of the coaches watching the game from foul territory was Willie McGee. The Cardinals great has been in minor-league camp for most of the past week, and it’s the start of his new role in the organization. McGee, a major-league coach the past several years, has moved into a special advisor role that reduces his travel schedule and allows him to work more as an instructor with the youngest players.

Winn returns to lineup

After missing a few days of work because of a sore right wrist, shortstop Masyn Winn returned to the lineup and leadoff slot Friday against Houston in Jupiter, Florida. Winn went 0 for 4 with a strikeout to drop his spring batting average to .089. In exhibition games, Winn four singles, three walks and he’s struck out 13 times. He’s been hitting leadoff in part to get him as many at-bats in games as possible.

Marmol agreed with the description the shortstop has shown frustration.

“And that’s OK,” the manager said. “That is what gives him that edge and that success — it’s being hard on himself. He’s catching up to where he wants to be with the bat. Just continue getting as many at-bats as possible is going to be important. He didn’t start off the way he would have liked. I have a lot of confidence in what he’s going to be able to do once the year starts.”

Edmonds, red jackets, etc.

Jim Edmonds, the former All-Star outfielder and broadcaster, headlines the list of Cardinals Hall of Famers expected to attend opening-day festivities at Busch Stadium. He mused on a local sports-talk radio show that he might not attend, but when the team revealed its schedule participants he was the first red jacket listed along with National Baseball Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith, Tony La Russa, Ted Simmons, and Scott Rolen.

Other team Hall of Famers expected to be present include Chris Carpenter, Jason Isringhausen, Ray Lankford, John Tudor, Jose Oquendo, and a recent inductee Matt Morris.

• Reliever Phil Maton’s next appearance is set for a Grapefruit League game, likely on Saturday, to also allow him to pitch in Memphis on Monday.
• Infielder Nolan Gorman missed both games Friday because of flu-like illness.

One of the teams in the minor-league game Arenado played in featured top prospect JJ Wetherholt, who had a snazzy play as a second baseman when a ball pinballed off the pitcher.