Dobbins Gets the Call as Cardinals Add Arm for Series Finale

The Cardinal Chronicle
Dobbins Gets the Call as Cardinals Add Needed Arm for Series Finale
St. Louis, Mo.
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals made it official Thursday, activating right-hander Hunter Dobbins from the 15-day injured list and optioning right-hander Ryan Fernandez to Triple-A Memphis.

For Dobbins, the move closes one chapter and opens another. After beginning the season on the injured list while continuing his recovery from right knee ACL reconstruction, Dobbins worked his way through a rehab assignment at Memphis and now gets his first opportunity to take the ball for St. Louis. MLB.com listed Dobbins as having made his fourth rehab start for Memphis on April 25, with Thursday’s start against Pittsburgh already lined up.

The timing could not be much cleaner for the Cardinals.

St. Louis is in the middle of a demanding stretch of 17 games in 17 days, the kind of grind that can expose a pitching staff in a hurry. The Cardinals have already leaned hard on their bullpen during this road trip, and even with three straight wins in Pittsburgh, the club needed a fresh starter to help protect the arms behind him.

Dobbins gives them that chance.

This is not just a paperwork move. It is an opportunity. Dobbins has been building innings at Memphis, where he made five Triple-A starts and logged 22 2/3 innings with a 4.37 ERA, according to MLB Trade Rumors. His rehabilitation window lined up with the Cardinals’ need for another starter, giving St. Louis a natural opening to work him into the rotation.

The assignment will not be a soft landing. Dobbins steps into a Thursday matinee at PNC Park with the Cardinals trying to finish off a four-game sweep of the Pirates. St. Louis has already won the first three games of the series, rallying late Monday, pounding out 11 runs Tuesday, and then hanging on Wednesday night behind six strong innings from Andre Pallante.

Now the ball goes to Dobbins.

The Cardinals are not asking him to be a savior. They are asking him to compete, throw strikes, cover innings and give the club a chance. For a pitcher coming off a long rehabilitation road, that is enough. Sometimes baseball does not require a grand entrance. Sometimes it just asks a man to take the mound, trust his work and get outs.

There is also a bigger picture here.

The Cardinals’ rotation remains a work in progress. Michael McGreevy has been one of the steadier arms in the group, while Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Andre Pallante, and Kyle Leahy have all carried uneven stretches. Dobbins may not arrive with top-of-the-rotation expectations, but the Cardinals are in a place where opportunity matters. A good showing on Thursday could earn him more than one start.

Fernandez heads back to Memphis after his latest stint with St. Louis. The right-hander had been recalled earlier in April as the Cardinals continued to shuffle bullpen pieces, but with Dobbins returning and the club needing a starter, Fernandez becomes the roster casualty for now. 

For Dobbins, Thursday is the reward for the work nobody sees — the rehabilitation, the side sessions, the controlled innings, the gradual build back to the mound. For the Cardinals, it is a practical move at the right time.

Old school take?

This is the kind of game where you find out something about a pitcher. Not everything. Not the final verdict. But something.

The Cardinals have spent the week in Pittsburgh finding ways to win. Now they hand the baseball to Hunter Dobbins and ask him to help finish the job.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports