Dustin Jake May Bio
Dustin Jake May (born September 6, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. A third-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, May made his major league debut in 2019 and was a member of the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series championship team.
Early Life and Background
Dustin Jake May graduated from Northwest High School in Justin, Texas, and was committed to play college baseball at Texas Tech before signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2016 draft. He accepted a reported signing bonus and entered the Dodgers’ farm system, beginning his professional development in the Arizona League and advancing through the organization’s lower-level affiliates.
May’s physical profile has been a defining element of his development. Listed at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and about 180 lb (82 kg), he combined height and arm length with a high-velocity delivery that attracted attention from scouts and coaches during his time in high school and the Dodgers’ minor league system.
Path to Baseball
After being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round of the 2016 MLB draft, May signed with the organization and began his professional climb through the Arizona League Dodgers, Great Lakes Loons and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He reached Double-A Tulsa and earned midseason All-Star recognition in the Texas League and a Futures Game selection while still a prospect in the Dodgers system.
Progress through the Dodgers’ ladder included a 2018 season that featured a California League post-season all-star selection and strong starts at both High-A and Double-A, which positioned him for a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2019. Those minor-league performances paved the way for a major league call-up in August 2019 and his first sustained opportunity at the big league level.
Dustin Jake May Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
May made his major league debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 2, 2019, starting against the San Diego Padres and pitching into the middle innings. He recorded his first major league win on August 13, 2019, against the Miami Marlins and finished the 2019 season appearing in 14 games for the Dodgers, showing strikeout ability and control that marked him as a young starter to watch.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season May opened on the mound for the Dodgers on Opening Day after Clayton Kershaw was unavailable, becoming the youngest Opening Day starter for the franchise since 1981. He posted strong results across 12 appearances and 10 starts that season, and contributed innings in the Dodgers’ postseason run en route to the 2020 World Series title.
Los Angeles Dodgers Breakthrough (2019–2023)
May’s 2019–2020 tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers included rapid ascension from prospect to rotation option and postseason contributor. He demonstrated a high-velocity pitch mix and advanced movement metrics that stood out among young starters, including a heavy two-seam fastball and a four-seam that produced among the highest average velocities in 2020.
Injuries interrupted May’s momentum after 2020. He suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in 2021 that required Tommy John surgery, ending that season and initiating a multi-year recovery and comeback timeline. He returned to the majors in August 2022 and continued to work through innings limits and intermittent health issues while contributing to the Dodgers across appearances and starts through 2023.
Boston Red Sox Brief Stint (2025)
On July 31, 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for prospects James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard. May made six appearances for Boston, including five starts, compiling a 1–4 record with a 5.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 28 1/3 innings while adjusting to a new team environment late in the 2025 season.
St. Louis Cardinals Era (2026–Present)
Dustin May signed a one-year, $12.5 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on December 17, 2025, with the deal taking effect for the 2026 season. In June 2026 he threw his first complete game, a one-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres, working 101 pitches and narrowly missing a Maddux by two pitches, a highlight that underscored the potential of his arsenal and effectiveness in a full-game workload.
With the Cardinals, May entered a new phase of his career under a different coaching staff and organizational philosophy focused on pitch sequencing and workload management. The move represented a fresh opportunity to establish a sustained role either in the rotation or in high-leverage relief depending on team needs and his health status.
Driving Style and Strengths
May throws from a three-quarter arm slot with pronounced leg lift in his delivery and uses a combination of a high-velocity two-seam fastball, a four-seam fastball, a cutter and a curveball. His profile emphasizes heavy arm speed and lateral movement on his sinker-like two-seam offering, while his four-seam velocity ranked among the fastest averages in 2020; those traits combine to generate swings and misses and hard contact when his command is in sync.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones in May’s career include his major league debut in August 2019, serving as the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter in 2020, and being part of the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series championship team. His first complete-game one-hit shutout for the St. Louis Cardinals in June 2026 also stands as a defining moment, demonstrating his potential as a dominant starter when healthy.
Dustin Jake May Career Wins
Across his major league career through mid-2026, Dustin May compiled a mixture of starts and relief appearances that showcased strikeout ability and occasional dominant outings. Statistical totals through June 21, 2026 list a win–loss record of 24–26, a 3.95 earned run average and 374 strikeouts, reflecting both his high-reward pitch profile and interruptions from injury.
MLB Highlights
May’s first major league win came in August 2019 against the Miami Marlins and his contributions to the Dodgers’ 2020 postseason helped the team capture a World Series championship that year. His 2026 complete-game one-hit shutout for the St. Louis Cardinals stands as one of his most notable individual starts at the major league level.
Other Wins & Perfromances
In the minor leagues, May accumulated strong seasonal numbers that earned midseason All-Star honors and a Futures Game selection in 2019, and a California League post-season all-star nod in 2018. Those early professional achievements were pivotal in advancing him rapidly through the Dodgers’ development pipeline.
Dustin Jake May Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public records provided do not indicate a family baseball lineage. May’s upbringing in Texas and progression through high school and professional systems is the documented pathway to his major league career.
Personal Life
May married Amelia “Millie” Trautner on December 27, 2022. In July 2024 May underwent emergency treatment and surgery for a tear in his esophagus after a choking incident; he has publicly credited his wife with saving his life that night and sought medical care that evening.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season included a return to the Dodgers’ mound in April after extended recovery from elbow and forearm procedures, followed by a midseason trade to the Boston Red Sox on July 31. Across 2025 May made 18 starts and one relief appearance for the Dodgers before the trade, finishing the season with a 6–7 record, a 4.85 ERA and 97 strikeouts during his time in Los Angeles and Boston combined.
The latter half of 2025 served as a transition year ahead of his free-agent signing with St. Louis, with the trade and subsequent performances illustrating both the durability questions and the upside that teams value when evaluating his role for 2026 and beyond.