With Cardinals starting pitchers continuing to struggle to get through a lineup a third time, the club promoted Hunter Dobbins on Sunday so that he can serve as a bulk-innings reliever.
Dobbins, 26, started all nine games he appeared in with Triple-A Memphis and he started for the Cardinals on April 30 in Pittsburgh, but he will likely be used out of the bullpen over the upcoming two weeks. He pitched in relief in two games with the Red Sox in 2025, so the concept is not totally foreign to him.
Dobbins was scheduled to start on Sunday in Omaha, Neb., for the Triple-A Redbirds, so he is ready for multiple innings of work if needed.
“Whatever they need, I’ll find a way to make it work,” said Dobbins, who woke up in Omaha on Sunday morning and caught a plane that got him to St. Louis by midday.
To make room on the roster Dobbins, the Cardinals designated right-hander Matt Pushard for assignment. Pushard, who allowed three hits and an earned run over 1 2/3 innings of work in Saturday’s loss, was a Rule 5 pick from the Marlins last December. If he clears waivers, the Cardinals are expected to bring him back into the organization.
Because Cardinals pitchers Matthew Liberatore, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante have repeatedly run into troubles getting through lineups a third time, the Cardinals have had a need for a reliever who could cover multiple-inning stints. That’s a role that Leahy occupied and thrived in during the 2025 season before being elevated into the starter’s role.
Manager Oliver Marmol said he isn’t sure yet of when he will get Dobbins into a game, but he does plan to use him in a relief role for now. His hope is to find a clean inning where Dobbins can go into a game with a similar feel to starting an outing.
“Depending on how the game goes today, he can pitch a bulk of it, but we’ll read the game and use him as needed,” said Marmol, who had to use four relievers on Saturday night behind Leahy in the 6-1 loss to Chicago. “When you look at some of the possibilities with how we used the ‘pen in the first game of the series and yesterday, having someone with length made sense.”
Dobbins has started all 10 games he's pitched in in 2026
Dobbins, who was acquired in the trade with the Red Sox that centered around first baseman Willson Contreras, was 3-0 with a 3.43 ERA over nine starts with Memphis. In 44 2/3 innings, he struck out 33 and walked 14 while holding the opposition to a .244 batting average. He allowed five Triple-A homers.
In his one start with the Cardinals, Dobbins pitched well for four innings before running into control issues in the fifth. Over 4 1/3 innings of work, he allowed just two hits, but his five walks led to three earned runs allowed.
“I was actually kind of thankful that (the rough fifth inning) happened because it showed that as I was coming back from the knee that out of the stretch, things weren’t as synched up as they needed to be,” said Dobbins, whose 2025 with the Red Sox ended when he tore the ACL in his right knee while covering first base. “So, over the last couple of weeks, we really dove into (his pitch mechanics) and now my velo out of the stretch is matching – if not even better – than out of the windup. And my command has been better. I went 90-plus pitches, and I was still throwing 96 (mph) in my last inning the other day (on May 26 in Omaha). So, I’m feeling really good.”
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