Hunter Dobbins should take a bow after what he did for the Cardinals on Wednesday.
As the extra man, parachuting into the Cardinals rotation for an apparent one-off opportunity as he's done several times before, Dobbins held the Angels scoreless over six innings in the Cardinals' 1-0 win.
He served as the stopper to an irritating losing skid that saw the Cardinals let a couple of games slip away late.
With the Cards playing on so many consecutive days in this stretch that runs to August 6, baking in extra rest for the remainder of the rotation was an inevitable strategy for team brass to deploy, and Dobbins fit the billing splendidly.
Dobbins is your POTG! #STLCards pic.twitter.com/E9lPpESqsJ
— STL Sports Central (@STLSprtsCntrl) July 22, 2026
But is there a conversation to be had, at this point, about simply keeping Dobbins in the loop?
Because of the strategy behind how and when the Cardinals have use Dobbins to this point in the season, they've still got some wiggle room to send him back to Memphis if they see fit. A player with option years remaining can be optioned five times in a given season, and the return to the minors after serving as the 27th man in a doubleheader doesn't count toward that total.
But his performance in these sporadic opportunities in St. Louis merits consideration. In six appearances for the Cardinals, Dobbins has posted a 3.18 ERA, striking out 28 batters while covering 28.1 innings under some strenuous circumstances.
His adaptability to thrive regardless of the regularity of his role has been impressive to witness. So, how can the Cardinals reward Dobbins for his efforts by keeping him around?
The Cardinals have been reluctant to consider Matthew Liberatore's rotation spot up for grabs as the team has stressed the priority of his growth and long-term development in this foundational season in St. Louis. Reacting strongly, or overreacting, to his latest outing has not been the Cardinals' approach to Liberatore in 2026.
Tuesday saw a five-run first inning against Libby for the baseball club in Los Angeles of Anaheim of California of the United States of Planet Earth. That rogue frame was enough to send the Cardinals to their fourth loss in a row, before Dobbins got the team back on track Wednesday.
If the Cardinals stay the course with Liberatore, as is my general expectation even before hearing them say it, because that's been the consistent theme all season, there's only room for Dobbins in the present if the club is prepared to carry one fewer reliever during this grueling stretch. That's asking a lot of the bullpen.
In recent years, we haven't seen the Cardinals adopt a six-man rotation for longer than a day at a time, and I would be surprised to see that trend change now.
Could they find a more creative solution to retain Dobbins? The optics of sending a guy back after what he provided on Wednesday wouldn't be great.
Does Dobbins deserve the chance? Absolutely. That's not the question anymore. It's simply the same numbers game that it's been all year long. We'll see how the Cardinals handle it soon.
But with the trade deadline looming, Dobbins' recent performance should instill further confidence in how the Cards could handle things down the stretch.
If teams around the league come calling on any of the Cardinals' short-term pitching assets, it's worth listening -- because Dobbins is a plug-and-play rotation replacement, clearly ready for his shot.