Carlos Martinez is healthy again. He can breathe easily. He feels strong. His body doesn't ache anymore.
He looks like his old self. He can pump fastballs in the mid-90s. He can snap off nasty sliders and mix in changeups with movement.
So he can boost the Cardinals as they try to battle back into postseason play.
His individual goals align nicely with the team needs. Martinez wants to reestablish himself as a starting pitcher. He worked out of the bullpen last year, then lost half of this mini-season to the coronavirus.
The Cardinals must expand their rotation to survive their scheduling gauntlet.