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Stop breathing, and then it’s really game over. That’s the harrowing reality that Dustin May faced when he had emergency life-saving surgery in 2024, and that ultimately interrupted his attempt to reclaim his place as one baseball’s rising young pitching stars. Not only did it threaten his career, but it put his life in jeopardy.

At this point, that’s just all part and parcel of what makes May the best comeback story of this Major League Baseball season. It’s been nearly five years since May spent an extended stretch as a fully healthy and fortified starting pitcher.

KANSAS CITY — Nolan Gorman’s route back to the majors began this week in Jupiter, Florida, by stepping into the batting cage and beginning a process that has worked for several touted prospects and the Cardinals believe may develop into an option for big-leaguers, too.

A week after the Cardinals demoted their starting third baseman and former first-round pick to the minors, Gorman has yet to appear in a game, and there is no advertised date for him to do so. That's all part of the plan to rework his swing.

DETROIT — Friday was the kind of day 12-year-old Matt Vierling, growing up in �����Ӱ�ԭ��, could only dream about.

He hit a two-run homer in the first inning, made an impressive catch at the wall in center field and, after the game, got to meet Nelly.

KANSAS CITY — In the ninth inning Friday night, the latest comeback attempt by the Cardinals found rookie infielder Blaze Jordan in the batter’s box with a chance to tie the game.

Although down by three runs to the host Kansas City Royals at the time, manager Oli Marmol grinned at the possibility — not just of tying the score with Jordan’s next swing, but of exposing a young player, still fresh in the big leagues, to this moment.

The San Francisco Giants’ Pride Night controversy has sparked an investigation by President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice.

In a letter addressed to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released Thursday afternoon, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon argued that the league’s warning to players not to write on their hats violated the players’ religious freedom under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

KANSAS CITY — The scale wasn’t as large as what happened Thursday night as the Kansas City Royals drubbed the Cardinals for 14 runs and the ending wasn’t anywhere close to being as predictable.

But the bottom-line result became the same.

KANSAS CITY — When it comes to the fragile, fleeting nature of contention, is a bird in hand worth two birds on a bat?

That's the question that baseball writer Derrick Goold asks in a brand new Best Podcast in Baseball.

KANSAS CITY — Whether it was a fastball or a curve, a changeup or the slider, the Kansas City Royals seemed to have a good feel for whatever Matthew Liberatore was about to throw next.

And they weren’t alone in knowing what was coming.

Jose Manuel Baez was in Memphis on Tuesday.

On the three-year anniversary of his death, Jose Manuel was there with his son, Cardinals top prospect Joshua Baez, as he had a historic four-home run night with the Class AAA Memphis Redbirds.

When the Cardinals went down this path with Kyle Leahy, they did so with eyes wide open. They weighed his value in the bullpen. They considered the upside he could have as a starter. They accounted for their relative depth in both relief pitching and starting pitching corps.

They used spring training as an opportunity to get a greater feel for what this transition would entail for Leahy, who hadn’t started regularly since 2022 and who pitched just 88 innings last season.