Dustin May is back with the Los Angeles Dodgers after missing nearly two years while recovering from a flexor tendon and Tommy John revision surgery, and later an emergency procedure to repair an esophageal tear.
The right-hander has managed to stay healthy this season and already set career highs with 94.1 innings pitched and 17 starts. However, May will make his next appearance on Monday in relief after Shohei Ohtani starts.
“A little combo,” manager Dave Roberts answered when asked if the team has begun the process of reducing May’s workload by having him follow Ohtani, or if it’s simply how the rotation lined up coming out of the All-Star break.
“This is a one-off, and it’s probably not going to be Dustin the next time. It’s just kind of building around Shohei as he continues to build up.”
Roberts previously indicated that May would initially remain in the starting rotation coming out of the All-Star break, but those plans have seemingly changed.
Given that he is in his first season since undergoing multiple operations, it always made sense for the 27-year-old to eventually join the bullpen or be skipped over in the rotation as a way to manage his innings.
May not only has spent time pitching out of the bullpen, but his effectiveness has waned of late and the Dodgers rotation has gotten healthier with the recent return of Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani continuing to build up.
Blake Snell could also rejoin the group in the next two weeks, while Roki Sasaki has a chance to return around the end of August.
Dustin May piggybacking Shohei Ohtani
As Ohtani gets set to make his sixth start as a pitcher, May is joining the likes of Ben Casparius (three times), Justin Wrobleski (once) and Emmet Sheehan (once) to piggyback him in a bulk role.
“I think so,” Roberts said when asked if there is a positive to pitchers following Ohtani on the mound. “I think it allows us to get the benefits of both sides in the sense of building Shohei up to then have somebody behind him that it’s not just a typical bullpen game.
“We feel whoever it might be on that particular night can take down a majority of the game, and depending on how the game plays out, they can either keep going or we can pivot to leverage guys.
“In Dustin’s case, we’ve already eclipsed what we would’ve expected at this point in time. So to curtail, save, whatever way you want to frame it, here and there, should be of benefit to Dustin, too.”
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