ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JULY 22: Hunter Dobbins #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals reacts in the dugout in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 22, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
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The St. Louis Cardinals continue to juggle their pitching staff as the MLB trade deadline approaches, balancing immediate bullpen needs with a rotation that could still undergo significant changes before the end of the week.
With several veteran pitchers generating trade interest and innings becoming increasingly valuable down the stretch, every roster decision has taken on added importance. That was evident on Tuesday as the Cardinals made room for their newest addition on the big-league roster.
St. Louis Cardinals Cut Starter From Roster After Brutal Chicago Cubs Outing
On Tuesday, the Cardinals optioned right-hander Hunter Dobbins to Triple-A immediately after a harsh outing against the Chicago Cubs, a move that corresponded with the addition of a new reliever.
“Dobbins gave up four earned runs in 5.1 innings while serving in a piggyback role Monday, and he’ll now head back to Triple-A to make room in the bullpen for Peter Strzelecki,” CBS Sports reported. “Despite a poor showing Monday, Dobbins still owns a 3.74 ERA through 33.2 innings in the majors and could potentially join St. Louis’ rotation soon if the Cardinals unload another starter before the trade deadline.”
But even though the move came right after Dobbins’ harsh outing against the team’s historic rival, it seemed to be one that the team had been working toward for a while.
“The move came after Dobbins pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief on Monday against the Cubs, meaning he would be unavailable over the next couple days,” Amber Winkler reported for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Following his start against the (Los Angeles) Angels last Wednesday, the Cardinals made an effort to keep Dobbins on the active roster as long as feasible, even though it meant they would be short an arm in the bullpen.”
After Dobbins’ made an extended appearance against the Cubs, the team was ready to cut him from the roster and make room for a more traditional reliever.
St. Louis Cardinals Cut Starter To Clear Room For Newest Addition
With Dobbins unavailable for several days after his extended outing, the Cardinals quickly turned to another experienced arm.
“Now that the Cardinals are in need of relief arms, Strzelecki’s contract was selected and he was added to the major league roster,” Winkler added. “The Cardinals signed Strzelecki to a minor league contract last Saturday after he was released from the Class AAA Nashville Sound, the affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.”
For now, though, the priority is preserving bullpen depth. The Cardinals needed an available reliever more than a starter recovering from a 77-pitch appearance, making Dobbins the logical roster casualty despite his otherwise solid work during his first extended opportunity in the major leagues.