While the Los Angeles Dodgers were playing their way through the Spring Training schedule before Major League Baseball shut down due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, they did so without Dustin May or Joc Pederson appearing in a Cactus League game.
Both players deal with respective injuries that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts generally described as non-serious. Pederson was projected to make a fully recovery in time for Opening Day, but the number of days May was unable to throw likely had him marked a role with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
That of course wound up becoming a moot point by the middle of March. Shortly after, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman indicated May and Pederson had essentially made full recoveries.
May confirmed as much during an interview with John Hartung on SportsNet LA, noting he’s continued to throw with plenty of regularity:
“Right now I’m ready to go. No issues. I’m completely healed. … I’m throwing as much as possible. Me and Tony (Gonsolin) go throw, and there’s a couple Minor Leaguers that are here. It’s 1-on-1 pretty much. We just go throw and kind of disperse. Don’t really talk a whole lot. Just kind of self-limit as much as possible.”
May added that because other pitchers have tapered off with stretching out in preparation for a season, he essentially is at their same level:
“Right now I’m just kind of following everybody’s pitching schedule. I’m right on cue with pretty much everybody, because everybody kind of slowed down a little bit. So right now I’m on cue with everybody to be ready for whenever this thing is over.”
May made his MLB debut last season and went on to appear in 14 games (four starts) for the Dodgers. He went 2-3 with a 3.63 ERA and was included on the active roster for the National League Division Series. Both of May’s appearances during the five-game series came out of the bullpen.
Because the Dodgers view the young right-hander as a starter, they felt it best to have May begin the season in the Oklahoma City rotation. “I just don’t see it making a whole lot of sense, as a young player, to put him in the ‘pen out of camp,” Roberts said in February, when May was still nursing his injury.
“We understand he’s done some really good things for us. We’re just encouraging Dustin to control what he can control. Right now it’s get healthy, get on the mound and build up that pitch count.”
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