The Boston Red Sox acquired left-hander Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals, the teams announced Wednesday night.

First-base prospect Blaze Jordan will head to St. Louis as the return. The 22-year-old is hitting .308 with an .872 OPS and has slugged 12 homers across Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester this year. He entered the season ranked as Boston’s No. 20 prospect, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law.

Matz, 34, emerged as a valuable asset in the Cardinals’ bullpen after spending the past three seasons as an oft-injured starting pitcher. St. Louis used him predominantly as a multi-inning setup man, but Matz is stretched out enough to be used in a swingman role if needed.

The trade comes on the heels of the Cardinals’ deal of Ryan Helsley, who was dealt to the New York Mets before St. Louis’ 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Prospects Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt were traded to the Cardinals for Helsley.

The Cardinals also expect to deal right-handed reliever Phil Maton before Thursday’s deadline.

In 32 appearances (two starts) for the Cardinals, Matz went 5-2 with a 3.44 ERA. He dominated left-handed hitters, with lefties averaging just .179 against him this year.

Should Boston wish to use Matz in a hybrid role, it shouldn’t take long to stretch him out. Over half of his relief appearances this year spanned multiple innings, and he threw 39 pitches in one outing July 13.

Look for Boston to use Matz for multiple innings and as protection for Justin Wilson, its other left-handed reliever.

Matz is in the final year of a four-year, $44 million deal he signed before the 2022 season. He has about $4.1 million remaining on his salary and will be a free agent.

Despite needing help at first base, the Red Sox decided against promoting Jordan, which suggested he was expendable. He is Rule 5 eligible this winter. Throughout his minor-league career, Jordan offered slug, but his offense dipped a bit after a promotion to Triple A. He had posted a .928 OPS in 44 games in Double A but has an .809 OPS through 43 games in a very hitter-friendly Polar Park at Triple A.

(Photo of Steven Matz: Tim Vizer / Imagn Images)