Cardinals' Rotation Puzzle: Dobbins' Shot

0:00It's April 21st. Welcome in. This is MLB News Today, where the game meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. The St. Louis Cardinals shook things up this offseason by trading away key guys like Brendan Donovan, Wilson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Nolan, Aaron Otto. Everyone figured they'd take a step back to rebuild, but nah, they're winning games anyway through 22 games this season. None of the players they got in those deals have cracked the big leagues and made waves yet. Their rotation sitting at a 4.47 ERA, 23rd in baseball, and the bullpen's even rougher at 5.36, 26th overall. That means starters got to go deep or everyone's in trouble. Now the spotlight's on. Hunter Dobbins picked up from the Red Sox in the Contreras swap. He's wrapping up rehab from ACL surgery last August, dominating AAA with a 3.86 ERA in 16 strikeouts in 18, and two-thirds innings. It's 4.13 ERA from last year, with Boston beats most Cardinal starters so far.

1:04But as tricky, another Boston pick-up, Richard Fitz from the Great Trade, just has season ending Lat surgery. With no real depth in Memphis, they might roll a 6-man rotation during their 17 games in 17 days, starting Friday. Current arms like Dustin May, Matthew Liberator, Andre Palante, Kyle Leahy, and Michael McGreevy are heating up after strong outings. These rotation puzzles usually sort themselves by hot streaks or injuries, and Dobbins has a real shot to jump in soon. Keep watching how St. Louis juggles this to stay in the wind column.