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Unavailable for back-to-back series earlier in the week as he dealt with some discomfort in his right shoulder, O’Brien and the Cardinals made the decision to see if extended rest would make him available without missing the mandatory 15 days on the IL. The weekend series against the San Francisco Giants was the test of that approach and whether the soreness would subside and he’d could contribute.

A win Saturday and a save Sunday — and the Cardinals have their answer.

“I would say so,� O’Brien said.

On the eve of heading back to his hometown of Seattle and having a coach to close games there for the Cardinals, O’Brien pitched a scoreless ninth Sunday to secure a 4-3 victory and series win against the Giants. O’Brien allowed a hit and then ended the game with a double play ground out on a 96 mph sinker. He threw two sinkers at 97 mph in the same at-bat. The save, O’Brien’s third of the season, came less than 24 hours after he pitched a perfect ninth before the Cardinals’ rally for a walk-off win.

After missing more than a week, O’Brien appeared strong in back-to-back games to resume his rise as a late-inning option for the Cardinals.

“What you want to see is you want to inch closer and closer to that,� manager Oli Marmol said. “You get to the (trade) deadline and lose those three guys, everybody bumps up into a more significant role, and he’s taken to it well. A big part of that is staying healthy.�

O’Brien pitched in two of the Cardinals’ games against the Pirates in the previous homestand, but his arm did not recover from the outings as he hoped. There was some fatigue and pain, and each day he tried the arm in Cincinnati, he alerted the team that it wasn’t as lively as he hoped. He underwent and MRI when the team returned to St. Louis for this homestand and, assured there was nothing structurally wrong with the shoulder, he ramped up his pregame work and discussed with the team when best to be available.

Marmol expressed hope at the time that getting O’Brien six games away would be better than assuring he was out for 15 days.

The week would help O’Brien explore what he could pitch through and better know what it takes to be available. And by avoiding the IL, he’d maintain momentum he’s building in late-game appearances.

“Of not giving in and being on the attack regardless of what happens,� Marmol said. “Not allowing a negative to follow into the next pitch. That’s been the biggest difference for him. The overall ability to stay locked in and just aggressive.�

An example came in the ninth Sunday.

A leadoff single that put the tying run on base didn’t send an inning sideways.

“I knew I was one pitch away from getting out of that,� O’Brien said. “I think the biggest thing for me (in the late innings is), it brings out more of my competition mode. Not that we’re not competing in other situation. When you’re in a one-run game in the ninth, all you’re thinking about is the game and getting the hitter out. It feels very competitive.�

Since the trade deadline and his ascent to setup and closing roles, O’Brien has allowed two runs in 12 1/3 innings. He struck out seven in those 11 appearances. Nine of his past 10 appearances have been scoreless, and the win-save weekend trimmed his ERA since July 31 down to 1.50.

He said Sunday afternoon he was awaiting word from his mom on how many tickets to get for the series at T-Mobile Park. He grew up going there and said while he dreamed of pitching there, he felt such thinking “wasn’t realistic.�

“I’m excited to hopefully go throw some meaningful innings there,� he said.

Burleson back, Contreras next

The Cardinals expect to get both of hitters who often play first base back in the lineup on the first two days of their visit to Seattle. Alec Burleson continued to go through workouts and batting practice Sunday without issue, and the Cardinals plan to activate him and put him the lineup Monday night at T-Mobile Park. That is the first game he’s eligible to return from the 10-day injured list.

The Cardinals began the process of a roster move Sunday to free a spot for Burleson. Veteran utility fielder Garrett Hampson will be removed from the active roster officially Monday. The Cardinals are keeping prospect Nathan Church in the majors and part of a rotation of outfielders for playing time.

Burleson’s appearance at first base may be brief, however.

On Tuesday, Willson Contreras is eligible to return from his suspension. With Contreras in the lineup that night, the Cardinals will have their home run leader in Contreras and their leading hitter for average in Burleson back in the same lineup — something they did not have in any of the previous three series.

Arenado, Donovan vs. Peoria?

Infielders Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan will take live batting practice Monday at Busch Stadium against their teammate, lefty John King, and some members of the High-A Peoria team who will be visiting for a couple of days.

Donovan will take live BP on Monday, and if that goes well, he’ll begin a rehab assignment Tuesday. The Cardinals plan to go game to game with his schedule to determine how many at-bats he needs to return to the active roster.

Arenado will face hitters Monday and Tuesday at Busch, and if he recovers well from those workouts, the plan is to have him begin a rehab assignment Wednesday.

Arenado hopes to return to the Cardinals lineup on Sept. 15.

Class A Peoria’s season ended Sunday, and the Cardinals planned to have a select group of players from that club come to St. Louis for workouts during the week at the major league park. The Cardinals plan to do the same with players from Class AA Springfield (Missouri) and Class AAA Memphis later this month to give them time at the big league ballpark.

First-rounder Doyle debuts

With a 97.7 mph sinker that brushed the outside corner of the strike zone, first-rounder Liam Doyle began his pro career with a strikeout.

The lefty started Saturday for Low-A Palm Beach, hopping the fence from the Cardinals’ back fields to appear for the first time with an affiliate. Doyle, the fifth overall pick in July draft, pitched 1 2/3 innings, struck out three and walked two. He allowed one run and one hit — a solo homer by the reigning Florida State League player of the month, Reds catching prospect Alfredo Duno.

Doyle touched 98.4 mph with his fastball.

Since the Cardinals drafted him as their highest pick since 1998, Doyle has been working out and throwing at the team’s player development complex in Jupiter, Florida. The team managed his workload following a full college season with Tennessee and focused on health and pitch refinement ahead of his first full professional season in 2026.