In three appearances this spring, Bowman has allowed eight runs and 13 hits in five innings.

“We need to make a priority to get him in when we can,” Matheny said before Wednesday’s game. “We’ll get him his work. We just have to get creative.”

As a Rule 5 selection, Bowman must remain on the Cardinals’ 25-man active roster for the full season for them to gain control of his rights. If, at any time, they remove him from the active roster and he’s not on the disabled list, he must pass through waivers and then, if cleared, return to the New York Mets. The Cardinals took Bowman in the draft believing he could serve as a swing man for the bullpen, a role manned last year by Carlos Villanueva.

This spring the return of Jonathan Broxton, arrival of Seung Hwan Oh and health of Jordan Walden have stacked the bullpen with one-inning setup types. As Matheny and his coaches plotted the pitching assignments for Wednesday’s game, they weren’t sure an inning would be available for Bowman because Broxton, Trevor Rosenthal and Kevin Siegrist were the priorities.

Same is true in the season.