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Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore will make his first start of the season in the series finale against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday at Busch Stadium.

Liberatore, who has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen this year, will take the place of injured left-hander Steven Matz.

The Cardinals placed Matz on the IL with a lower back strain on Friday, and they’d initially listed Kyle Gibson as the starter for Sunday’s game. However, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol announced before Saturday’s game that Gibson instead would start on Monday, followed by Miles Mikolas on Tuesday.

Following Saturday’s game, Marmol announced Liberatore will start on Sunday.

Liberatore settled nicely into a bullpen role this season after having previously started in the majors and minors. Liberatore has a 2.76 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 12 games (16â…“ innings) this season out of the bullpen.

Last season in his major-league starts, Liberatore went 2-5 with a 5.88 ERA, 34 strikeouts and 20 walks in 49 innings (11 starts) after he’d excelled as a starter at Triple A in the beginning of last season.

DeJong enjoys ‘special’ return

Before Friday’s series opener, White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong reflected on the emotions of returning to St. Louis to play against the franchise for which he’d spent the vast majority of his career and enjoyed a lot of success.

DeJong described the moment as “special,� getting to see guys he used to share a clubhouse with and getting to share hugs and smiles with them again.

The day off Thursday before starting the series allowed him to see his barber and visit with some family from Lake St. Louis. His mother also came into town for the weekend series.

“I’m excited to see the fans,� DeJong said. “They supported me throughout my whole career here, and I’ve always valued the Cardinals franchise and their fans. … I just want them to know that I’m thankful for them supporting me throughout my good and my bad times here.�

DeJong, selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft (131st) out of Illinois State University, entered last season as the second-longest tenured player in the organization behind Adam Wainwright.

He’d been the Cardinals’ opening-day shortstop from 2018-22, a run that started after he finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 behind Cody Bellinger. He hit a team-high 25 home runs, batted .285 and posted a slugging percentage of .532 in 108 games as a rookie.

He signed a six-year contract before the start of the 2018 season.

DeJong registered his best season in 2019 when he earned NL All-Star honors, was a finalist for the Gold Glove at shortstop, lead all NL position players in defensive wins above replacement and set the franchise single-season records for home runs (30) and extra-base hits (62) by a shortstop.

He struggled at the plate in 2022 and spent much of the offseason heading into 2023 make swing adjustments. With a club option likely to make him a free-agent after the 2023 season, the Cardinals traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays last summer.

The Blue Jays released DeJong on Aug. 21, and San Francisco signed him two days later for their stretch run. The Giants released him in late September, and DeJong signed with the White Sox this offseason.

“It’s been a real learning experience for me,� DeJong said of the past year. “I thought I wanted to be a Cardinal for life, but that’s such a rare opportunity. It takes a real special player to stay with an organization for a whole career. I understand that. I’ve been able to get away from St. Louis and learn more about myself as I progress in my baseball career.

“Coming back here gives me that perspective of where I’ve been and where I started. So it’s just nice to be able to come back and just kind of reflect on what I’ve done and enjoy the moment.�

He was one for four Saturday in the White Sox’s 6-5 victory in 10 innings and is hitting .210 this season.

Carlson nears return, Middleton nears rehab

Outfielder Dylan Carlson returned to St. Louis and was with the club at Busch Stadium before Saturday’s game. Carlson had been on a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple A Memphis since May 1.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Carlson returned to St. Louis because of a weather forecast that threatened to wash out Memphis’ game. The Cardinals planned to have the switch-hitting Carlson do outfield work, run the bases and “mimic� game-speed at-bats as a right-handed batter.

How he felt would determine the next step for the Cardinals, but Carlson could return to the active roster in the coming days.

Right-handed relief pitcher Keynan Middleton threw a bullpen session for the first time since spring training. He’s been sidelined by a forearm flexor strain. The planned progression for Middleton includes a pair of bullpen sessions this week followed by him starting a minor-league rehab assignment Friday, likely with Double A Springfield.

Designated hitter/infielder Matt Carpenter went one for three with a double and a walk in the first game of his rehab assignment with Springfield on Friday. He played five innings at first base.