Cardinals Next Man Up If Dustin May Misses Time After Comebacker Scare

The St. Louis Cardinals had a scare on Thursday as starter Dustin May was hit by a comebacker in the first inning of the club's contest against the Atlanta Braves.

Fortunately, May avoided the worst-case scenario and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that there weren't any indications of a break.

As of right now, it's unclear if May will make his next scheduled start, but if he doesn't the Cardinals have an easy replacement option down in Triple-A ready to help the Cardinals: Hunter Dobbins.

Dobbins is down in Triple-A right now and he has a 3.79 ERA in 12 starts. He has made four appearances in the majors this season and has a 3.63 ERA in a Cardinals uniform.

The Cardinals Should Promote Hunter Dobbins

Jun 11, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) pitches against the New York Mets during the second inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

St. Louis acquired Dobbins from the Boston Red Sox this past offseason in the Willson Contreras deal. He was brought along slowly throughout Spring Training after his 2025 rookie season was cut short after tearing his ACL.

When it comes to May, he has been an overall bright spot for the Cardinals this season, but now we have to wait to see what happens next after the comebacker. Dobbins' last start for Triple-A came on June 30 against the Charlotte Knights. So, he should be in line to make his next start early this upcoming week.

Right now, the Cardinals are smack dab in the middle of arguably their most important stretch of the season so far. On Tuesday, the Cardinals kicked off a 14-game gauntlet in which they will face the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cardinals won two out of three against the Braves in the first series of the gauntlet. But things aren't going to get easier from here. When it comes to the rotation, the Cardinals are going to have to figure things out. Dobbins is the easy answer. If not him, the Cardinals could easily promote Brycen Mautz or Quinn Mathews. Fortunately, May has gotten positive updates already. But the Cardinals are going to need to think about the rotation just in case he needs to miss a start.

After the win on Thursday, the Cardinals are 45-39 on the season and still in third place in the National League Central. St. Louis is 7 1/2 games out of first place. The Cardinals still have the No. 3 National League Wild Card spot as well.

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