The St. Louis Cardinals are diving headfirst into a youth movement, making some bold moves to reshape their roster for the future.
A significant part of this transition involved trading veteran slugger Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox. In return, the Cardinals acquired promising pitching prospect Hunter Dobbins, who is looking to bounce back after missing the end of the 2025 season due to a torn ACL.
Dobbins made his major league debut in 2025, appearing in 13 games for the Red Sox, including 11 starts, and posted a respectable 4.13 ERA. Despite undergoing surgery for his ACL injury last July, his arm seems to be in good shape as Spring Training kicks off. However, there are still concerns about his mobility, given his knee is still on the mend.
According to Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Hunter Dobbins recently saw a specialist as he recovers from his ACL tear.
He’s pitched in lives and appears on track with his arm, but has been limited with the other in-game aspects like fielding his position. If he progresses fine, he will also be in that starting mix."
At just 26, Dobbins showed promise in his rookie year. He leans heavily on his fastball and slider, using them 77 percent of the time, and managed to induce weak contact, which helped offset his less-than-ideal strikeout-to-walk ratio of 45:17 over 61 innings.
The Cardinals are eager to see Dobbins elevate his game, hoping to harness his fastball, which clocks in at over 95 mph, and make it a more formidable weapon alongside his slider. If he can refine these tools, Dobbins could become a key piece in the Cardinals' pitching rotation as they embrace this new era.