Moved into the closing role last August after the Cardinals dealt away Ryan Helsley, Riley O'Brien built his confidence and laid the foundation for a 2026 season where he has piled up 22 saves to tie for the National League lead. O'Brien, 31, is headed to next week's MLB All-Star Game.
A big leaguer for a full season for the first time at 31 years old – and nearly five years after his MLB debut – Cardinals’ closer Riley O’Brien is headed to next week’s MLB All-Star Game.
O’Brien, who is tied for the National League lead in saves with 22, was named to the National League All-Star team as an injury replacement by MLB on Tuesday.
O’Brien, who was optioned to Triple-A Memphis three times in 2025, blossomed late last season after the Cardinals traded away Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz. O’Brien moved from a set-up reliever to the closer role where he saved six of nine opportunities – opportunities that set the stage for his breakout performance in 2026.
“That did a lot for me and it helped me totally understand what (closing out games) was going to be like, and I was kind of able to prepare myself in the offseason for that role if I had it again,” said O’Brien, who has not pitched in any of the three games against the Brewers thus far. “Having that experience (in 2025) was huge for me. I did a lot more mental stuff and kind of practicing getting in a daily routine to sharpen my mental game.”
O’Brien was a pitching replacement for Pirates star Paul Skenes, who is scheduled to face Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski on Sunday and will be unable to pitch in the Midsummer Classic. Miami’s Max Meyer and Misiorowski also dropped out and will be replaced by Jesus Lazardo and Braxton Ashcraft on the National League squad.
O’Brien will be joined at the MLB All-Star Game by Cardinals slugger Jordan Walker and manager Oliver Marmol. Walker, who notched his 27th multi-hit game in Tuesday’s nightcap and smashed his career-best 21st homer in Game 1 against Misiorowski. Marmol, who has led the Cardinals to a surprising push for a Wild Card spot, will be a part of Dave Roberts’ coaching staff.
O'Brien's story is one of perseverance
O’Brien reached the big leagues on Sept. 28, 2021, but he pitched just one inning for the Reds before getting traded to his hometown Mariners. He made it back to the big leagues in 2022 with Seattle for one inning, but he was traded to the Cardinals before the 2024 season.
O’Brien struck out Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in his first appearance as a Cardinal, but he spent much of the 2024 season battling flexor tendon inflammation in his right forearm.
This season, O’Brien didn’t allow an earned run over his first 13 appearances. He racked up saves in his first seven opportunities and in 11 of his first 12 tries to calm any fears the Cardinals had about his abilities to handle the rigors of the closing role.
O’Brien had some struggles in June – he pitched to a 5.40 ERA over his 10 appearances – but he still closed out seven games in seven save situations. He pitched a scoreless inning last Saturday night at Wrigley Field for his 22nd save to tie San Diego’s Mason Miller for the NL lead in saves.
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