The Cardinals’ rotation took a brutal hit in a single day, and the timing could not be worse.
Andre Pallante was placed on the injured list with elbow inflammation, and later right-hander Hunter Dobbins was pulled from his start against the Phillies because of an injury. The club has not provided details on what happened to Dobbins or where things stand with him.
That’s a lot for St. Louis to absorb at once, especially because the rotation has been one of the team’s strengths this season.
It had even gotten better after the trade deadline deal that sent Dustin May away. But this is not a staff built to withstand a sudden wave of injuries.
Kyle Leahy adds another layer to the problem. He is nearing his innings limit, and the Cardinals are expected to dial back his workload the rest of the way. Put all of that together, and the Cardinals may have effectively lost three starters in one day.
There’s more bad news on the depth front, too. Ixan Henderson, who had been working back from his own injury, was shut down for the season and moved to the 60-day injured list. That removes another possible option if the Cardinals need help in the rotation.
If Dobbins’ exit turns out to be nothing more than a precaution, that would at least soften the blow. If not, St. Louis is going to have some real choices to make.
At Triple-A, the starting options currently on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster are limited. Quinn Mathews is already lined up to take Pallante’s spot.
Cooper Hjerpe is there, but he probably is not ready yet to consistently cover five or six innings. Brycen Mautz is another name in the mix, though he was shifted to relief a while ago.
Mautz and Hjerpe could still be used as rotation answers, and the Cardinals may even have to get creative with piggyback setups to make the whole thing work. The wrinkle is that they were already considering that kind of arrangement because of Leahy, which could leave the bullpen in a messy spot.
The Cardinals deserve credit for how they’ve managed pitching health this year and in recent seasons. These injuries are still a blow, but arm trouble is always part of the equation, and no club can ever fully eliminate that risk. That’s why teams can never have enough pitching, even if many of the arms they’ve collected are still at least a year away.
What happens next with this rotation could decide how real the Cardinals’ October push can be. The staff has carried the load so far, and now the lineup and bullpen may have to pick up the slack.
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Cardinals Rotation Stability Just Took A Hit Before A Huge Phillies Series
The Cardinals rotation depth took a sudden hit heading into a high-profile series with the Phillies when right-hander Andre Pallante was placed on the 15-day injured list because of right elbow inflammation. St. Louis had been counting on Pallante as part of its starter mix, and the timing of the move leaves the club adjusting on the fly as it prepares for a challenging stretch.
Quinn Mathews is scheduled to start on Saturday, while Ryan Fernandez will take Pallantes roster spot for Fridays game. The Cardinals have not yet announced the corresponding move to add Mathews, leaving one piece of the pitching plan still unsettled as they try to steady the staff before the series fully unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
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Cardinals Face A Tough Kyle Leahy Decision At The Worst Time
Kyle Leahy has been one of the more valuable surprises in the Cardinals rotation this season, giving St. Louis steady work and blowing past his previous career high in innings pitched. For a team trying to piece together enough starting help down the stretch, that kind of reliability has mattered, but it has also created a challenge the club can no longer ignore.
According to Jeff Jones, the Cardinals are preparing to significantly scale back Leahys workload soon, with piggyback starts or a move into bullpen duties among the possibilities. He is not expected to be shut down entirely, but the timing makes the decision tricky, especially with Quinn Mathews already having two big league appearances and president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom signaling that Mathews will be part of the clubs plans the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]