Dustin May’s rocky beginning with the St. Louis Cardinals took another troubling turn. During the first inning of an eventual 11-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, May was struck on his right leg near the ankle by a blistering 104.4 mph line drive. As the right-hander hobbled around the mound, Cardinals fans held their breath, worried that yet another injury might cut short his second start with the team.
Fortunately, May remained in the game, temporarily putting health concerns to rest. However, his performance on the mound did little to soothe an increasingly anxious fan base. May’s second outing of the season proved even worse than his debut. One week earlier, he had surrendered six runs over four innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. This time, he managed to retire only ten Tigers batters before being pulled, having allowed seven earned runs, seven hits, and two walks while striking out four.
With an ERA of 15.95 through two starts, May now holds the unfortunate distinction of the worst performance by a Cardinals pitcher in his first two games with the club since Alan Benes posted a 17.18 ERA in 1995. It has been a remarkably difficult beginning for a player the team signed with high hopes during the offseason.
When St. Louis announced the signing of May back in December, the organization was clear about its strategy. From day one, May’s true value to the Cardinals was seen as less about his early-season results and more about what he could bring by the time the Trade Deadline arrived. Even though his first two starts have gone about as badly as possible, patience is essential. May is currently the highest-paid player on the roster, and despite the rough start, there remains considerable optimism that the Cardinals can benefit from their biggest free-agent acquisition of the offseason.
May chose to sign with St. Louis because of the team’s detailed plan to keep him healthy and give him the necessary space to rediscover his form on the mound. Before the 2025 season, there were few concerns about his productivity. He had carried a career 3.10 ERA into that year. However, injuries had severely limited his playing time during his first five major league seasons, allowing him to appear in only 46 games. The 2025 campaign was a banner year for May in terms of durability, as he set career highs in games played (25), starts (23), and innings pitched (132⅓). Yet that season also coincided with the highest ERA of his career at 4.96.
May’s injury history is significant. He missed most of the 2023 season due to a torn right flexor tendon. Then, he sat out the entire 2024 campaign after suffering a life-threatening torn esophagus. By the time he took the mound in 2025, he was pitching more than twenty pounds below his normal playing weight. That weight loss, combined with nearly two full seasons away from competitive pitching, led May to believe that 2026 would be the year he finally returned to full effectiveness once all those setbacks were behind him.
So far, the statistics do not yet reflect that hoped-for improvement. However, there have been encouraging signs, particularly regarding his velocity. May is currently averaging 96.6 mph on his sinker in 2026, which is more than 2 mph faster than last season. His four-seam fastball has also ticked upward by one mph. While his raw speed has returned, his command has not. Far too many of his pitches are ending up in the middle of the strike zone, where major league hitters can do the most damage.
Looking back at the previous season, May posted a 4.85 ERA in 19 games for the Dodgers, including 18 starts, before the Trade Deadline. At that point, Los Angeles traded him to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for outfielders James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard, who were both considered top-30 prospects in Boston’s system at the time. In baseball, upside can often outweigh a temporary drop in production, and the Cardinals are banking on that principle.
Both Tibbs and Ehrhard have since started the 2026 minor league season on fire, further strengthening an already deep Dodgers farm system. St. Louis hoped to follow a similar blueprint with May this year. Even though his first two starts have been undeniably rough, the Cardinals are in a rebuilding phase, which means they need to stay the course. Trading May would be difficult if his performance does not improve, but time is on St. Louis’s side. There are young pitchers at Triple-A Memphis eager for their chance, but the Cardinals are not ready to give up on their $12.5 million investment after only two outings. That kind of conversation might happen later in the season, but for now, May will continue to receive every opportunity to get back on track. That outcome is in the best interest of both the player and the organization, even if it takes a while to get there.
Jo Adell’s Unprecedented Defensive Feat in Anaheim
In a game that will be remembered for years, Angels right fielder Jo Adell delivered one of the most astonishing defensive performances in baseball history. Playing in front of a sold-out crowd in Anaheim, Adell robbed not one, not two, but three home runs to preserve a narrow 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. It was the Angels’ first home win of the season, and Adell was the undisputed star.
His first robbery came in the opening inning against Cal Raleigh. Adell leaped at the right-field wall to pull back what would have been a home run. The second came in the eighth inning off the bat of Josh Naylor, with an almost identical leaping catch at the same wall. The third and most dramatic robbery occurred in the ninth inning. Mariners batter J.P. Crawford ripped a 2-1 slider from Angels closer Jordan Romano down the right-field line. Adell sprinted toward the corner, caught the ball as his legs hit the wall, and tumbled into the stands. Despite landing among the seats, he held onto the ball. After a brief review, the catch was upheld. Statcast later determined that the drive would have been a home run in 23 other ballparks.
After the game, Adell expressed amazement at his own performance. He said the first catch fired up the team, the second felt almost identical, and the third was simply about grit and getting the job done in the top of the ninth inning. His teammates and coaches were equally awestruck. Among those watching was Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove winner and now a special assistant with the Angels. Hunter had sat with Adell at his locker before the game, discussing defense. After witnessing the three robberies, Hunter called it the greatest defensive game he had ever seen. He said he had never seen anyone rob three home runs, let alone make the final catch by falling into the stands and holding on like a wide receiver. At fifty years old, Hunter joked that the excitement nearly made him pass out.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki praised Adell’s work ethic, noting that he works as hard as anyone he has ever been around. Suzuki said that given Adell’s attention to detail and desire to improve every day, seeing him achieve such a feat was impressive, though he doubted anyone would ever see it again.
Closer Jordan Romano, who was on the mound for the final robbery, admitted to an emotional roller coaster. He saw Crawford put a good swing on the ball and initially thought the game was lost. Then, he watched Adell come running and dive into the stands to make the catch, which Romano called the best he had ever seen. Cal Raleigh, the victim of the first robbery, simply tipped his cap. He said he had never seen a player rob two home runs in a game, much less three, and noted that baseball can amaze you night after night.
Starting pitcher Kochanowicz, who benefited from Adell’s first-inning robbery, said he personally had never seen a player rob even two homers in a game, so three was honestly hard to believe. He credited Adell for looking great in the field. Zach Neto’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning ended up being the game’s only run, and Adell’s heroics ensured that slim lead stood up. It was, without question, the Jo Show.
