Ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers formally calling up Dustin May for his MLB debut, manager Dave Roberts was peppered with questions over the club’s plan for the organization’s top pitching prospect.
May was scheduled to start against the San Diego Padres, but like with Tony Gonsolin, it’s believed he’s a candidate to shift to a relief role come the postseason. “First things first,” Roberts said.
“Let’s let Dustin make his start. We’ll continue to see what capacity we use him in going forward.”
May then went out and pitched 5.2 innings, fighting off expected nerves in what was an encouraging first career start. And it didn’t take long for Roberts to reveal the young right-hander would receive another opportunity — Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“We’ll go from there,” Roberts added. “It was fun to see him really keep his composure throughout that start.”
May was hurt by Tyler White’s throwing error in the second inning that led to an unearned run and the Padres taking a 1-0 lead. May minimized the damage and found a rhythm before some sharpness began to wan and he was chased in a three-run sixth inning.
Despite the rocky finish to his outing, May came away encouraged by his learning experience and is motivated by the opportunity to make another start. “That’s really exciting,” he said.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that they have my back and knowing they feel like I can get the job done. Going to have better execution the next game and we’re going to come out with a win.”
What will unfold beyond Wednesday is unclear. Ross Stripling is nearing a return from the 10-day injured list and so too is Hyun-Jin Ryu. Both suffered from neck discomfort, though for Stripling that morphed into right biceps tendinitis.
