2 Ways Cardinals Can Replace Hunter Dobbins After Injury

The Cardinals' pitching depth is suddenly being tested.

Aug 21, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals were dealt a tough blow on Friday night in their game against the Philadelphia Phillies when right-hander Hunter Dobbins was forced to exit with right forearm tightness. Chances are good that Dobbins will land on the injured list, and that could ultimately lead to some trouble for St. Louis.

Andre Pallante was also placed on the injured list, with Quinn Mathews being called up from Triple-A Memphis. While Pallante should be back in short order, it's unclear what the story is with Dobbins. So, here are two ways the Cardinals can replace him if he goes down for a significant period of time.

Call up a young arm or two

What makes this especially difficult is that the Cardinals are trying to limit Kyle Leahy's innings, so they might have to move him to the bullpen. But the Cardinals at least have some depth in the minor leagues.

Down in Triple-A are left-hander Cooper Hjerpe and switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijintje. Perhaps calling one of them up to replace Dobbins could lead to something good. They would at least have somebody they can count on to replace the injured Dobbins.

If they really want to get creative, they could even call up No. 2 prospect Liam Doyle, similarly to how the Toronto Blue Jays called up Trey Yesavage late last year.

Use the waiver wire

Nov 13, 2019; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom speaks with members of the media during general managers meetings at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals may be forced to make some external additions. That's going to be hard since the trade deadline has passed, but often times at the end of August, players are put on waivers and picked up by contending teams.

Unlike the trade deadline, teams don't have to give anything up. All they have to do is claim a player. If teams like the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays continue to slip in the standings, they could potentially put pitchers such as Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer or even Chris Bassitt on waivers, and those are all arms that could help St. Louis out down the stretch.

The Cardinals may not have much of a choice here. They are rebuilding, but they still need to find a way to get through the season, and they have already lost Richard Fitts for the year, so the depth is really being tested.

But it will be interesting to see if the waiver wire is active this August. Perhaps the Cardinals could take advantage of it.

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