Dustin May had a successful return from Tommy John surgery last season but the year also ended with the right-hander missing multiple weeks late because of back trouble.
May returned in time for the National League Division Series, though did not get into a postseason game against the San Diego Padres. He’s now heading into the first full season since undergoing Tommy John and figures to play a prominent role in the Dodgers starting rotation.
Last week, the 25-year-old stretched out to four scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds in his third game (second start of the spring). May collected seven strikeouts and after the start said he felt in command of all his pitches, via SportsNet LA:
“I felt really good today. I was locating everything when I needed to locate it. Slider was good, two-seam good, changeup was pretty good as well. I was pretty comfortable with all the stuff.”
May added he’s in strong position physically and is nearing his pre-surgery form:
“I would say right now is probably the closest I’ve been to pre-surgery feel-wise. I’m in a pretty good spot right now. … I finally got some off time. The rehab process, you’re coming back and haven’t thrown in a game in a while, but there’s a lot of throws that have been made in the rehab process.
“I wouldn’t say I was tired or anything, but I was almost going through a full season with the throws. Just being able to have the rest of the offseason and coming in healthy is a really good thing for me.”
May went 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over six starts last season. The bulk of his success came in back-to-back outings against the Miami Marlins before struggling when facing the San Diego Padres in consecutive starts.
He then pitched five shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants, but that was followed by allowing five runs to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Dustin May innings limit?
Although May returned from Tommy John surgery last season, the Dodgers are still likely to manage his workload throughout 2023.
Manager Dave Roberts did add the caveat that the team will be flexible and don’t have a set number in mind for May’s innings limit.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
