Banged Up Cardinals May Have New Solution to Rotation Woes

Has another option emerged for St. Louis?

Apr 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Josh Fleming (26) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals look as though they are coming apart at the seams. Injuries are piling up, and after winning five consecutive series to start the month of August, they have since come crashing back down to earth.

The starting rotation especially has been hit hard, with Hunter Dobbins and Andre Pallante both landing on the injured list. The starting pitching depth in the minor leagues is also somewhat thin now, especially with Richard Fitts also sidelined for the rest of 2026.

However, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News Democrat pointed out that there might be another solution waiting in the wings.

St. Louis native and Webster alum Josh Fleming is making his first appearance for Memphis today, starting.

— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) August 23, 2026

Fleming has had some time in the major leagues, making his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. He was most recently with the Toronto Blue Jays this year. In three innings of work out of the bullpen, he allowed four runs.

The 30-year-old has primarily been used out of the bullpen, but with all the injuries the Cardinals are dealing with, it's smart for them to stretch him out at the minor league level. If the Cardinals want him to start for them, it would have to wait until Friday so that they can keep him on regular rest.

Dobbins' spot in the rotation is coming up on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles, but the Cardinals can afford to push Quinn Mathews up by a day since he will also be on regular rest following Saturday's blowup outing against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Cardinals signed Fleming to a minor league contract on Thursday. Despite being just 4 1/2 games back in the wild card race, reaching the postseason is unlikely for this team, but they still need to fill a rotation spot just to get through the rest of the season.

Pallante should be back soon, but Dobbins' status is unclear. Still, the Cardinals are fortunate to have Fleming in their system now, and bringing him up to start makes sense so they don't have to rush one of their top pitching prospects to the big leagues.

Fleming was a fifth-round pick by the Rays in 2017 out of Webster University in St. Louis. Chaim Bloom was in charge with the Rays when Fleming was selected, so this is a move that has his fingerprints all over it, and it's smart to have some extra depth while they wait for their starters to come back from injury.