Cardinals right-hander Hunter Dobbins will serve as a traditional starter in his next appearance, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Dobbins has worked as a bulk reliever in two appearances since being recalled one week ago. With his move to the rotation, Goold adds that St. Louis will adopt a six-man rotation for the time being.
Dobbins allowed a single earned run in 3 2/3 innings on May 31st. He followed that with five scoreless innings behind Kyle Leahy on Friday, earning the win in that game. Dobbins started 11 of his 13 appearances for the Red Sox last year, in addition to starting all but three of his career appearances in the minors. His long-term future is undoubtedly in the Cardinals’ rotation, so the six-man arrangement will help to ease Dobbins’ workload as a starter after his still-recent right ACL reconstructive surgery.
The change also benefits the Cardinals’ other starters beyond Dobbins. St. Louis has an off day tomorrow, followed by 32 games in 34 days from June 9th until the All-Star break. Cardinals’ starters have been surprisingly healthy in 2026, with Dustin May, Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, and Leahy all making at least 12 starts. That said, major league clubs rarely survive the entire season with just five starters. May, who leads the group with 1.4 fWAR, has an extensive injury history, including a lost 2024 (flexor tendon surgery) and season-ending right elbow neuritis in 2025.
Ideally, using six starters will keep Dobbins, May, and the others healthy during a busy stretch of the schedule. The Cardinals will also be hoping for improved performances from the group. Liberatore has a 4.48 ERA and an expected mark over 5.00, while McGreevy’s 2.98 ERA is nearly three runs below his 5.68 xERA. Leahy is in a similar spot, with an expected figure over 6.50. On the flip side, May has a 4.59 ERA but a 3.36 FIP, so he could be due for regression. Pallante’s 3.96 ERA is decent and right in line with his expected numbers.
It’s unclear from Goold’s report how long the six-man rotation will last. The Cardinals have more frequent off-days in late July and August, so they may only need five starters at that point. In any event, continued health and improved performance out of the rotation will be critical to the team’s playoff hopes. St. Louis is second behind the Brewers in the NL Central, and the Redbirds currently hold the top NL Wild Card spot. The lineup’s 102 wRC+ is middle-of-the-pack, while the rotation and bullpen both rank 20th in the Majors by fWAR. By that measure, the pitching staff is the clear area for improvement.
In other Cardinals news, rehabbing infielder Ramón Urías is now dealing with a left elbow issue, according to Brenden Schaeffer of MLB.com. Urías landed on the 15-day injured list on May 5th with a case of right elbow lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). This new issue is similar to that injury, per Schaeffer, so Urías figures to be out for longer than expected, pending further evaluation in St. Louis.
Urías joined the Cardinals on a modest $2MM deal during spring training. He struggled in a small sample of 68 plate appearances before the right elbow injury, batting .158/.279/.316 with a 74 wRC+. That followed an 87 wRC+ in 391 plate appearances in 2025, which Urías split between the Orioles and Astros. He was average or better at the plate for Baltimore from 2021-24.
When he returns, Urías will factor in as a backup infielder. José Fermín can technically play the infield, but he’s mostly been used in left field this year. Fermín is also out of options. In contrast, Bryan Torres has three options remaining and could be sent down if needed. That would leave Urías as a backup infielder and Fermín and the out-of-options Nelson Velázquez as backup outfielders.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images
