Cardinals activate Steven Matz from the injured list after back injury

The St. Louis Cardinals activated left-hander Steven Matz from the 60-day injured list on Sunday after the veteran starter missed four months due to numerous back problems.

Matz was on the injured list in late April with a back injury and aggravated the problem during his rehab in June.

Matz, 33, was 1-2 with a 6.18 ERA in six starts with the Cardinals this season, his third season of a four-year, $44 million contract with St. Louis. In 10 career seasons with the Mets, Blue Jays and Cardinals, Matz is 55-60 with a 4.31 ERA in 187 appearances (169 starts).

The Cardinals also activated outfielder Michael Siani (oblique) from the 10-day injured list. The 25-year-old rookie had a .256 batting average with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 101 games this season.

No such changes were necessary as Major League rosters were expanded by two players for the final month of the regular season.