One of the St. Louis Cardinals’ trade pickups will not be ready to go for Opening Day.
When the Cardinals acquired Hunter Dobbins from the Boston Red Sox, it was known that he was still working his way back after a torn ACL ended his rookie season early in 2025. On Sunday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Dobbins is expected to begin the 2026 season on the Injured List.
“Despite the ability to continue his throwing progression throughout the spring while he works back from an ACL tear suffered last summer, starter Hunter Dobbins’ limited workload will land him on the injured list to open the regular season, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol announced Sunday morning,” Guerrero wrote. “Dobbins, 26, has been limited this spring in fielding his position and was placed in controlled settings to face hitters early on before appearing in a backfield game on Saturday. He’ll continue to go through his fielding progression while on the injured list to begin the 2026 campaign and is set to field his position the next time he pitches, Marmol said.
The Cardinals hurler won’t be ready for Opening Day
Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) warms up with a football during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images“Acquired from the Red Sox in the Willson Contreras deal, Dobbins’ suffered an ACL tear in his right knee last July while covering a base on a play at Fenway Park. His work against hitters had been limited to pitching in live settings on the backfields before he advanced to game speed Saturday with five innings against Cardinals minor leaguers on the backfields of the team’s complex in Jupiter, Florida. He could field comebackers hit to him, but needed to avoid plays where he was required to cover first base.”
It has been known throughout the spring that Dobbins has been working his way back. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted last week that Dobbins wasn’t in contention for a starting rotation spot at this moment. This update from Guerrero only solidifies this fact more.
For St. Louis, the Cardinals’ options for the Opening Day rotation include Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Dustin May, Andre Pallante, Kyle Leahy and Richard Fitts.
At some point, Dobbins will be someone to watch for St. Louis. As a rookie, he logged a 4.13 ERA across 13 appearances, including 11 starts for Boston.
