Amidst the series of St. Louis Cardinals trades this offseason, they made several moves to shore up the roster for 2026.

One of those moves was bringing in right-handed starting pitcher Dustin May on a one-year, $12.5 million deal with a mutual option for 2027.

May has been plagued with injuries throughout his career. He made his major league debut in 2019 and since then, he's made over 20 appearances and starts in a season just once since then.

That season came last year, where May posted a 4.96 ERA and struck out 123 batters in 132.1 innings pitched across 25 appearances (23 starts). He was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox on July 31, 2025.

Dustin May, 99mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/oRPsavlukw

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 4, 2025

When May was signed, there was the obvious question about how his health would hold up over an entire season. It's still early in spring, but there's been positive signs that a change in delivery while maintaining his upper-90-mph range on his fastball could lead to a solid year for the Justin, Texas, native.

One of May's former teammates with the Dodgers and two-time World Series champion, Joe Kelly, is confident May will be able to bounce back with the Cardinals.

Kelly expressed his confidence in May in a recent appearance on the Cardinal Territory podcast.

"I'd say (May's) fearless), Kelly said on the podcast. "One who, you're gonna tell him that he can't do this and he's gonna try to achieve anything he can. The problem with Dustin has always been, obviously, health. It's kind of hard when you're (6-foot-4), built like me, and you throw a 100-mph turbo-sinker. That puts a lot of strain on the elbow, shoulder. To me, the last time I saw him throw it looked like he kind of cleaned up his delivery. His arm path got a little more smooth. Before, he was kind of a 'stab' guy. When you're taught as a little kid, 'stick the cobra to second base.' He kind of opened his hand a little bit too much before he closed it. But it looked like, with Boston, he was getting a little bit cleaner, cleaner, cleaner. So, I'm excited to see him pitch this year."

"He's fearless. He's one who, if you tell him he can't do this, he'll try to achieve anything he can."

Joe Kelly believes his former teammate, Dustin May, can bounce back with the Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/9oAYGGT6y2

— Cardinal Territory (@CardTerritory) February 26, 2026

Due to the nature of May's contract, there's speculation that St. Louis could trade him at the 2026 deadline to build more assets for the future.

Whether or not the Cardinals plan to keep May long term, a healthy season will benefit the team regardless.

May is currently projected to be the No. 2 pitcher on St. Louis' rotation during the regular season, according to FanGraphs.

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