Sunday’s game against the New York Mets was a mixed bag for the St. Louis Cardinals.
While the team rallied from a 5-0 deficit and ultimately pulled out a win thanks to yeomen work from their bullpen and some clutch hitting by Alec Burleson, they found themselves facing the large deficit after just one inning.
Right-hander Dakota Hudson allowed all five runs in the bottom of the first.
The 28-year-old is competing for a spot in the starting rotation, but his latest showing would suggest that a different role might be in his future.
After the game, manager Oli Marmol commented on his right-hander’s start, saying that he didn’t want to panic, but that he would like to see improvements.
MLB (dot) com’s @JoeTrezz has the story from Dakota Hudson’s rocky outing from Sunday for the #STLCards.
Oli Marmol: “You never want to put too much weight on one start, but we want to see an ability to gain in one area and not lose in another.”https://t.co/7zFRyfzf5a
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 20, 2023
Hudson’s place on the roster may not be secure.
Like Paul DeJong and Andrew Knizner, both of whom are struggling this spring, Hudson has not exactly impressed.
He posted a 4.45 ERA in 2022 after missing most of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Fortunately, the Cardinals have plenty of starting pitching depth.
Adam Wainwright appears to have turned the corner while Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, and Steven Matz have all had strong springs thus far.
Jordan Montgomery is also a reliable starter and Jake Woodford, Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore, and Andrew Suarez are other options.
But with as much depth as the Cardinals have, Hudson may be the odd man out as Marmol makes the final decisions on who will be on his Opening Day roster.
Hudson’s struggles from 2022 have seemingly carried over into spring training, and it may not be long before he finds himself on the outside looking in.
NEXT: Cardinals Fan Comments On Team's Depth After Injury Scare
