Hudson (elbow) was activated from the 60-day injured list and is the 29th man for Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs.
It's unclear whether Hudson will be a starter or long reliever going forward for the Cardinals, but he could be deployed in tandem for the second game of Friday's twin bill with Jack Flaherty (shoulder), who will also be activated from the IL later in the day ahead of his Game 2 start. Hudson's next appearance will be his first of 2021 after he spent the past 12 months recovering from Tommy John surgery. After having thrown five innings in each of his last two rehab outings, Hudson shouldn't face any limitations in terms of workload.