The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up their three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon as they try to end a four-game skid.
As expected, the Cardinals have officially promoted Hunter Dobbins to start the series finale. To clear a spot on the active roster, the club has designated veteran reliever for assignment, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat.
“Cardinals designated  the veteran for assignment to recall Hunter Dobbins. 40-man reduces to 39,” Jones wrote.
Scott Blewett’s past few weeks have been anything but predictable. The veteran reliever appeared in 37 games for Triple-A Memphis this season, posting a 5.18 ERA across 48 2/3 innings. On July 15, he exercised the opt-out clause in his contract with the Cardinals, forcing the organization to decide whether to promote him to the major league roster or allow him to become a free agent.
St. Louis ultimately chose to bring Blewett to the big leagues, selecting his contract after placing JoJo Romero on the 15-day injured list with appendicitis.
Blewett made an encouraging Cardinals debut on Tuesday against the Angels, tossing two scoreless innings while giving up just one hit. He also issued two walks and recorded two strikeouts in the outing. Despite the strong performance, the Cardinals designated him for assignment less than 24 hours later to create room on the roster for Hunter Dobbins.
Following the DFA, Blewett will be exposed to waivers, giving other teams the opportunity to claim him. If he clears waivers, the Cardinals can outright him to Triple-A Memphis, although the 6-foot-6 right-hander has the option to reject that assignment and elect free agency.
From the Cardinals’ perspective, retaining Blewett as organizational depth would be an ideal outcome. The experienced reliever has appeared in 44 major league games over five seasons with the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and Cardinals, making him a valuable insurance option. However, whether he remains in the organization will be determined in the coming days.
For now, the Cardinals are moving forward with Dobbins joining the major league roster, while Blewett’s future remains uncertain after another unexpected twist in his eventful season.
