Dustin

May

He also struck out three and walked one while posting a 20 percent whiff rate and 20 percent CSW. You rarely see a pitcher get just seven called strikes in five full innings of work, but that’s what May did today. The right-hander threw 55 strikes on the day today, and the Nationals swung at 46 of them. Perhaps Washington was simply being aggressive, or perhaps May wasn’t really fooling hitters, which might be why Washington had eight hard-hit balls. Regardless, he maintained his fastball velocity throughout the outing, which is good news. That puts him on the fantasy radar, but until we start seeing consistent whiffs, it’s hard to get too excited.

May also walked two and struck out three while registering a 23 percent whiff rate and 25 percent CSW. The command wasn’t ideal for May, who had just a 57 percent strike rate, but he had three whiffs on his four-seamer and two whiffs on four swings against his sweeper, which was nice to see. His four-seam velocity did drop about three mph in the fourth inning, but that’s not a huge shock in spring training. It’s hard to get overly excited about May this season since he is on a rebuilding team, and he has never produced much strikeout upside.

The good news is that he averaged 94.5 mph with the sinker, a 1.6 mph bump from last year. The bad news is he only struck out one batter and managed just one whiff on 16 swings against his two main pitches. Still, as far as Grapefruit League debuts go, it’s hard to wave away the results. May could be interesting this year if he maintains this level of velocity.

The mutual option is for $20 million, and contains a $500,000 buyout. May will get a chance to pitch in the middle of the St. Louis rotation after forging a 4.98 ERA and 123/56 K/BB in his 25 appearances and 132 1/3 innings with the Dodgers and Red Sox in 2025.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com adds that it’s a one-year deal with a mutual option for the 2027 season, though the financial terms of the contract are not yet known. The 28-year-old hurler compiled a 4.96 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and a 123/56 K/BB ratio over 132 1/3 innings in 25 appearances between the Dodgers and Red Sox in 2025. He’ll add stability to a Cardinals’ rotation that has already dealt away ace Sonny Gray this offseason.

May finally pitched over 60 innings in a season, throwing 132 1/3 innings for the Dodgers and Red Sox. However, he struggled, posting a 4.96 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 123/56 K/BB ratio. He has never quite delivered on his intriguing pitch shapes, but he would likely get another shot in the rotation if he landed with the White Sox.

The 28-year-old hurler finished the season on the injured list due to right elbow neuritis, though he would have been ready to pitch had the Red Sox advanced to the ALDS. May struggled in six appearances with the Red Sox after a deadline deal from the Dodgers, posting a 5.40 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and a 26/13 K/BB ratio across 28 1/3 innings. It’ll be fascinating to see how his market develops this winter, as May wind up being a fallback option for teams that aren’t able to acquire the upper echelon starting pitching options that they covet.

It’s unclear how much time May will miss, but the 28-year-old figures to be sidelined until the closing moments of the regular season. The 28-year-old righty has struggled to a bloated 5.40 ERA across 28 1/3 innings in six appearances (five starts) since coming over from the Dodgers at the trade deadline.

No word yet on what the injury is, but May had been set to start Tuesday’s game against the Athletics. It will now be Connelly Early making his MLB debut instead. May has thrown 132 1/3 innings this season, which is far and away the most of his career. His previous high was 56 innings back in 2020. The Red Sox had initially moved May into the bullpen a couple of weeks ago, but repeated injuries to their pitching staff have impacted their plans for his usage. They’re likely hoping this is not a long-term injury but just an opportunity to give him some rest.

Early was initially a candidate to start Wednesday’s game, but with Dustin May heading to the IL, the Red Sox needed a starter on Tuesday and will bring him up. The 23-year-old has taken a big step forward this season thanks to increased velocity on his fastball and an improving sweeper. He has a 2.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 132/40 K/BB ratio across 100 1/3 innings at Double-A and Triple-A this season, but is a risky start in a hitter-friendly park in Sacramento.