Cardinals Fans Can Let Out Sigh of Relief After Dustin May Scare

The St. Louis Cardinals may be starting to turn a corner after two straight series wins over teams that are above the .500 mark. They took two from the Atlanta Braves and did the same with the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.

In the series finale against the Braves, right-hander Dustin May was struck in the ankle with a comebacker and was forced to exit the game. Fortunately for St. Louis, he won't need any time on the injured list.

As the Cardinals open up a five-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers this week at Busch Stadium, May is set to pitch the series opener on Monday night, per Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The #stlcards plan to have Dustin May start on Monday at Busch Stadium. That pushes Michael McGreevy back to Tuesday to start one of the two doubleheader games vs. Milwaukee.

Second starter for the other doubleheader game hasn't been announced yet.
— Daniel Guerrero (@TheDanGuerrero) July 5, 2026

Cardinals avoided disaster with Dustin May

Ultimately, the situation with May could have been a lot worse. After he was hit with the comebacker, he managed to stay in the game for a few more hitters, but ultimately was pulled.

The right-hander limped off the mound. But the Cardinals clearly have avoided disaster here. If he were to have gone on the injured list, they may have lost not only a key member of their starting rotation, but also a potential trade chip with the deadline approaching.

The Cardinals are likely to at least listen to offers on May, and if a team offers the right deal, Chaim Bloom would be wise to take it. The Cardinals likely aren't going to have May back on their roster in 2027, so trading him now would make sense.

It also remains to be seen if the Cardinals are back on track after a few series wins. If that's the case, then perhaps May doesn't go anywhere at the deadline and stays in St. Louis as the Cardinals make a push towards the playoffs.

May is 5-6 with a 4.80 ERA in 16 starts this season. He allowed five runs in the first inning against the Braves and also struggled in his previous start against the Kansas City Royals. However, he isn't far removed from a one-hit complete-game shutout against the San Diego Padres, so if he can regain that form, the Cardinals could get off to a strong start in their series against the Brewers.

It will be interesting to see how May responds after a couple of days to recover following the comebacker scare. The ball hit him hard, but he appears to have passed all tests needed to start on Monday.

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