Cardinals' prized free-agent signing flashing exciting signs early in camp

When the St. Louis Cardinals signed Dustin May in December, they were placing a bet on the 28-year-old's ability to get back to the best version of himself from when he first came up as a dynamic arm with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Apparently, early in camp, they are seeing some of that magic return.

As always, early results from spring training should always be taken with a massive grain of salt, but oftentimes some of the most informative tidbits we get come from bullpens, backfields, and behind-the-scenes work that players are doing. And according to Cardinals' manager Oliver Marmol, we may be seeing one of those revelations right now from May.

Marmol shared with reporters today that May's fastball was sitting 97mph-98mph during his simulated game today, touching 99 mph as well. Jeff Jones relayed that news over on X, with Marmol also sharing that they've consistently seen that kind of velocity from bullpens as well.

If you've followed May's career, you'll know that is an uptick in velocity from where he has been in recent seasons, and that could further indicate that a rebound year is coming from one of the Cardinals' best trade chips.

Dustin May seems to be regaining his lost velocity early in Cardinals camp

Prior to 2025, May had no problem sitting in the upper-90s with his fastball, and when he was on the field, he was highly effective. From his debut in 2019 through 2024, May posted a 3.10 ERA with the Dodgers, proving to be a force on the mound and flashing swing and miss during short stretches. The problem for May has mostly been staying on the field, as he only appeared in 46 games over those six seasons.

In 2024, May suffered a life-threatening torn esophagus right as he was completing a rehab program from a prior elbow injury. May lost a ton of weight during his recovery process from that emergency surgery, and that is believed to have played a major role in his velocity dip in 2025.

According to Statcast, May's fastball averaged just 94.8 MPH in 2025, down from the 98 MPH he was able to pump out when he was at his best. May posted a career high in games (25) and innings (132.1), showing he had gotten his arm to a much healthier place, but his results were not good. He posted a 4.96 ERA and 21.1 K% on the year. His fastball had been a major plus pitch for him most years prior to last season, but May posted a -12 run value on his heaters in that down year.

May told reporters in January that he has put back on that weight and feels much better entering 2026.

Even in a down year, May still flashed some incredible stuff on the mound, particularly with his sweeper. That pitch posted the highest spin rate of any pitch in baseball last year, and the upside May presented if he was able to regain his velocity on his fastball is what made him a prime target in my eyes all offseason leading up to the signing.

Again, it's early in camp. We have seen him in an actual spring training game yet, and we certainly need to see him in regular-season games before we can truly say how things are going for May. But it's also fair to be very encouraged by the results thus far, as that velocity uptick is a major step in the right direction.