Hunter

Dobbins

Dobbins made his season debut yesterday after last season’s ACL surgery. He allowed three runs on two hits in 4 1/3 innings but walked five, which is to be expected after such a long layoff. The 26-year-old is arguably the best starting pitcher in the Cardinals’ rotation, so it’s a bit of a surprise that he would be sent back down after one start. He should be back up shortly.

Dobbins also struck out five in the no-decision, which St. Louis went on to win 10-5. The right-hander was making his Cardinals debut after working back from last season’s ACL tear with the Red Sox. Acquired in an offseason trade for Willson Contreras, Dobbins mostly represents pitching depth for this staff. His next start could come at home against the Brewers if he remains in the rotation.

Dobbins, who has been rehabbing from last year’s ACL surgery, will make his season debut on Thursday in a start against the Pirates. Last season with the Red Sox, Dobbins emerged as a low-strikeout streamer in fantasy baseball due to his deep pitch mix and good command of the strike zone. He could continue to be a streamer this season with the Cardinals, but we likely wouldn’t start him in his first game off the IL.

St. Louis will shift to a six-man rotation with Dobbins set to make his season debut in Pittsburgh on Thursday. The 26-year-old came over from the Red Sox in the Willson Contreras trade last December and will be making his Cardinals debut. He’s compiled a respectable 4.37 ERA and 19/9 K/BB ratio over 22 2/3 innings over five rehab starts for Triple-A Memphis this season. He put together a 4.13 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 45/17 K/BB ratio over 61 innings for the Red Sox as a rookie last year.

This will be the third rehab start for Dobbins as he recovers from his torn ACL. The 26-year-old should be an option for the St. Louis rotation soon, but fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach in redraft formats.

Dobbins also struck out seven and walked one while throwing 62 of his 91 pitches for strikes. The 26-year-old, who was acquired from the Red Sox in the offseason, is still working his way back from a torn ACL that ended his season last year. He has looked good to start the year, allowing four runs on eight hits in 10 1/3 innings while posting a 10/3 K/BB ratio. A couple more good starts and he could push for a call-up to join the Cardinals’ rotation.

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.