Overview
- Cardinals right-hander Hunter Dobbins underwent reconstructive elbow surgery Wednesday, and the team says he will need about 12 months to recover.
- Some reports say the operation repaired a torn UCL and a flexor tendon, but the club has not publicly confirmed the exact surgical technique or whether it was a full Tommy John reconstruction.
- The roughly year-long timeline likely rules Dobbins out for most or all of 2027 and makes him a candidate to be moved to the 60-day injured list to free a 40-man roster spot.
- His loss deepens St. Louis’s rotation strain after Andre Pallante’s IL stint, leading the club to plan minor-league recalls and bullpen starts while pursuing a late wild-card push.
- Dobbins underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, tore his ACL in 2025, and was traded from Boston to St. Louis in the Willson Contreras deal, so his extended rehab will affect both his career path and the trade’s long-term return.