Cardinals Receive Exciting Riley O'Brien News
The St. Louis Cardinals have another 2026 National League All-Star.
On Tuesday, closer Riley O'Brien was added to the National League All-Star team as a replacement. The selection is the first All-Star nod of O'Brien's career. The 31-year-old joins fellow first-time All-Star outfielder Jordan Walker as St. Louis' representatives at this year's Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia.
Manager Oliver Marmol will also travel to Philadelphia after being selected as an honorary coach on Dave Roberts' National League staff.
Braxton Ashcraft, Jesús Luzardo and Riley O'Brien have all been named to the NL All-Star team!
— MLB (@MLB) July 7, 2026
They replace Jacob Misiorowski, Max Meyer and Paul Skenes on the roster. pic.twitter.com/9UvVd5ymAJ
In 36 appearances this season, O'Brien is 3-3 with a 3.72 ERA across 36.1 innings. He has struck out 35 batters while issuing 12 walks. His 22 saves are tied for the second-most in the National League and rank among the top five in MLB.
O'Brien's first full major league season came last year, when he posted a 2.06 ERA across 42 appearances while holding opposing hitters to a .196 batting average over 48 innings.
Before Ryan Helsley was traded to the New York Mets at last season's trade deadline, O'Brien served as the Cardinals' primary setup man. Helsley's departure opened the door for O'Brien to take over as St. Louis' closer.
He wasted no time building on his breakout 2025 campaign. Through April, O'Brien owned a stellar 1.17 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with eight saves across 15.1 innings. He also recorded 17 strikeouts while issuing just one walk.
Riley O'Brien has been lights-out to start 2026:
— Kareem Haq (@KareemSSN) April 11, 2026
8.1 IP
0.00 ERA
8 K | 0 BB
0.48 WHIP
.143 BAA pic.twitter.com/d4CPd85gsf
However, O'Brien has not maintained that level of success since. He posted a 6.30 ERA over 10 appearances in May. Opponents hit .270 after they managed just a .186 batting average against him in April.
June was an improvement, but still not good. O'Brien finished the month with a 5.40 ERA, a .237 batting average against, and a 1.60 WHIP over 10 appearances.
Nonetheless, O'Brien has been a dependable closer, converting 22 of 26 save opportunities. He has been the anchor in the bullpen for a Cardinals team that has exceeded expectations in 2026.
Entering Wednesday, St. Louis is 47-43 and sits two games behind the Miami Marlins (50-42) for the final National League Wild Card spot. However, the Cardinals have lost four consecutive games, including both ends of Tuesday's doubleheader against the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
While St. Louis remains firmly in postseason contention, O'Brien's inconsistency will be a storyline to monitor moving forward. He has also emerged as a potential trade candidate, whose four remaining years of club control make him an attractive asset.
O'Brien remains the Cardinals' most important bullpen arm. St. Louis' relievers own a 4.32 ERA, which ranks 20th in MLB. Trading their closer would likely make an already inconsistent bullpen even more unstable. On top of that, it would force St. Louis to replace another closer just one year after moving Helsley.
The Cardinals are in a strong position in the standings, but are still rebuilding with a focus on the future. That makes St. Louis one of the more intriguing teams to watch ahead of the trade deadline. The club's decisions could shape not only the remainder of the 2026 season but the franchise's future as well.
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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 11:36 AM.