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Dodgers' Dustin May 'Sucked' During Latest Outing

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Jun 28, 2025 1:00 PM ET

It has been an up-and-down return to the mound for Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May.

After undergoing flexor tendon surgery in July of 2023 and missing the rest of 2024 with a torn esophagus, May was an exciting addition to this already stacked Dodgers team. However, his 4.68 ERA, 4.68 FIP, and 75 strikeouts to 35 walks over 82 and 2/3 innings have not been quite up to his career output.

May’s most recent outing saw him go four innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs while walking three, striking out three, and letting up one home run against the Kansas City Royals. Los Angeles would win 5-4, but May did not feel much better about his performance.

Here is what May told reporters after the game:

“It sucks that I had to go out and suck, but it’s a good thing our guys can score some runs.”

May should still have a long leash after such a brutal stint of injuries. He is also only 27 years old and has all the talent in the world to develop into a dominant starting pitcher.

On the other hand, his fastball velocity has dropped from its 98 mph peak to around 94.4 mph this season. Perhaps this is who he will be in the wake of all those injuries. May has also relied far more heavily on his sweeper (42% of pitches) than ever before.

His frustrations are justified, and hopefully for the Dodgers, he can rediscover some of that 2020 campaign magic, which saw him finish fifth in National League Rookie of the Year voting with a 2.57 ERA, a 4.62 FIP, and 44 strikeouts to 16 walks over 56 innings.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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