Dodgers News: Dustin May Not Viewed as a ‘savior’ by Dave Roberts
Dodgers pitcher Dustin May, whose UCL injury on May 1 of last year led to Tommy John surgery, is finally ready to return after nearly 16 months on the shelf. After five outstanding rehab starts in the minors — 19 innings, 4 earned runs, 1.89 ERA, 1.053 WHIP, 33 strikeouts, 6 walks — May will take the mound at Dodger Stadium this Saturday against the Marlins.
Dustin May’s first start back from Tommy John will be Saturday against Miami, Dave Roberts said.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 15, 2022
With the news of Walker Buehler‘s season-ending surgery, May’s return gains a little more importance. May was always expected back this season and Buehler’s return has always been at least somewhat of a question mark, but now that both are set in stone, there’s starting to be some clarity on exactly what the Dodgers will need from May.
May, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, has his eye on October as he gears up to make a handful of starts in the regular season.
“I feel like the more time I have up here to get my feet wet before October, that’s beneficial.”
There are question marks about the Dodgers postseason rotation even beyond Buehler and May. The team is hoping to get Clayton Kershaw back in the next few weeks, and if he’s healthy he’s an obvious part of the playoff rotation.
Julio Urias has the combination of regular season and postseason success to make him a lock, while ERA leader Andrew Heaney and All-Stars Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson all have outstanding cases to pitch important innings in October.
With all this uncertainty, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has made his expectations clear to May, according to Ardaya.
“I talked to Dustin today, and he’s not a savior. I just want him to come out and pitch well. He’s just got to do his job. When Clayton gets back, he’s got to do his job. So I don’t look at it as pressure. It’s just more of, we don’t have a guy that we’d hoped to be with us. He’s been a big part of things we’ve done, but there’s nothing we can do about it and guys have just got to do their jobs.”
With seven weeks left in the regular season, there’s plenty of time for things to shake out. For May, that shaking out starts on Saturday.
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