Cardinals' rotation battle receives unfortunate update for one offseason acquisition

The St. Louis Cardinals' rotation battle is one of the more important features of spring training this year, and thus far, it's going about as well as one could have hoped. The "locks" (Dustin May, Matthew Liberatore, and Michael McGreevy) are all pitching quite well, and Andre Pallante looks to be sewing up the No. 4 job with his effort this month.

That really leaves one spot for numerous competitors, including Kyle Leahy, Richard Fitts, Quinn Mathews and Tink Hence. Unfortunately, that competition has shrunk by one, as offseason acquisition Hunter Dobbins expects to begin the season on the injured list.

As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold explains: "Hunter Dobbins, who is coming back from knee surgery, continues to advance on his throwing program, but his innings have come in controlled settings and not in competition for a rotation spot."

It's a disheartening (even if expected) update on Dobbins, who tore his ACL while with the Boston Red Sox last July. It's a good sign that he's throwing simulated at-bats, and his connection to Chaim Bloom (who originally drafted him in Boston) suggests a bright future for Dobbins in St. Louis.

Hunter Dobbins won't be ready for Opening Day, but Cardinals fans should be excited for his debut.

The Cardinals targeted Dobbins in trade talks with the Red Sox all offseason, finally landing him in the Willson Contreras deal after settling for Brandon Clarke earlier in the winter when Sonny Gray was shipped out.

He recorded a 4.13 ERA and 3.87 FIP in 61.0 innings in Boston last year, walking just 6.6% of hitters on his way to 1.0 fWAR. Though he doesn't generate a lot of strikeouts or whiffs, he was a brilliant contact manager, finishing in the 75th percentile in barrel rate allowed and the 78th percentile in ground-ball rate. There's a reason Bloom wanted to reunite with his former draft selection.

First, though, the team needs to ensure he's healthy. Recovery timelines for ACL tears are notoriously fickle, especially for pitchers who rely on leg movements to generate power and stability on the mound. If Goold's report is up to date, we could see Dobbins embark on a rehab assignment at some point in April, with a mid-May debut in St. Louis on the table if there are no setbacks.

For now, the Cardinals will need to fill their No. 5 starter spot with another in-house option. Dobbins' longtime Red Sox teammate, Richard Fitts, could be the favorite after his electric start to spring training.