Hunter

Dobbins

Dobbins will spend a couple weeks down in the minors building up his pitch count and stamina as he works his way back from last year’s surgery to repair a torn ACL in his knee. The 26-year-old hurler figures to be ready to make his Cardinals debut at some point in late April or early May, assuming there’s an open rotation spot at the highest level.

Dobbins is throwing, but the Cardinals didn’t want to risk a setback by having him pitch in games this spring. He’s at least a month away from being a candidate for the team’s rotation.

The 26-year-old hurler is still recovering from the ACL tear in his knee that he suffered last July. He has been able to build up his arm strength this spring, but is still limited when it comes to fielding his position. No timeline yet on when exactly he may be ready to join the Cardinals.

As a 25-year-old rookie, Dobbins had a solid 4.13 ERA in 11 starts and two relief appearances for the Red Sox before tearing his ACL while going to cover first base in July. If he’s not ready for the start of 2026, he shouldn’t be far behind, and he’ll definitely get a look in the rotation at some point. While his ceiling seems limited, Dobbins has the varied arsenal, above average command and solid groundball rate of a No. 4 starter. Contreras’s exit leaves a big hole in the St. Louis lineup, but the Cardinals are rebuilding anyway and now there’s another 600 plate appearances freed up for Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese. Or maybe they’ll want to give Iván Herrera a look at first, which would open the door for catcher Jimmy Crooks to play a significant role.

The Cardinals will get righties Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita and will send Boston $8 million, according to Passan. Contreras, who is owed $41.5 million for the next two years or, if his option is picked up, $54 million for the next three, will apparently be waiving his no-trade clause to take over as Boston’s first baseman. That means Triston Casas could open up in Triple-A if healthy, though if he impresses in the spring, there’s also the chance the Red Sox could go with him and Contreras splitting time between first and DH. The Cardinals figure to install Alec Burleson at first, which would open an outfield spot back up for Jordan Walker alongside Lars Nootbarr and Victor Scott II. Contreras hit .257/.344/.447 with 20 homers in 135 games last season in his first year since giving up catching.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Daniel Cooper in Texas. The 25-year-old hurler is expected to be fully recovered and ready to participate in spring training, though it’s unclear how his regular offseason routine will be limited.

The 25-year-old right-hander has been shelved since mid-July due to a torn ACL in his right knee and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season. He’s expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training.

Dobbins suffered the season-ending knee injury during Friday’s start against the Rays. He previously tore his ACL while playing high school football. The 25-year-old righty is facing a lengthy rehabilitation process following surgery, but there’s a chance he’s able to make it back to Boston’s rotation at some point in the early stages of next season. He finishes his abbreviated rookie campaign with a solid 4.13 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 45/17 K/BB ratio across 61 innings (13 appearances, 11 starts). It’s a tough hit to Boston’s rotation depth for the next few months, but it’s easy to envision Dobbins returning next season as a mid-rotation arm.

Cotillo adds that the Red Sox are still evaluating Dobbins, but the initial belief is that he’s dealing with a serious knee injury. The 25-year-old rookie right-hander suffered the ailment on Friday night against the Rays in his return from the injured list. There should be a definitive update on his status shortly, but his season is most likely over. Depending on the exact diagnosis, there’s a chance he’s ready for next spring, but we’re not close to being able to speculate on that frontier. We’ll have updates on the developing situation as it unfolds.

Dobbins sustained the injury while covering first base on a ground ball to the right side of the infield in the second inning. He’ll head for further evaluation. The 25-year-old hurler wound up allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out a pair in his first start back off of the injured list.