Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May did not step on a big league mound once in 2024. A young flamethrower who had shown a lot of promise the last couple of seasons being sidelined was less than ideal for manager Dave Roberts.
One would assume that a 25-year-old pitcher who has an upper-90s heater would most likely face an IL stint due to arm/shoulder/elbow issues. That was far from the case for May last season. His misfortune came via freak accident. May has now revealed what caused an emergency surgery that kept him from pitching a year ago.
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Dustin May discusses freak injury
Of all things, eating a salad resulted in Dustin May missing the entire 2024 season. One night while eating dinner with his wife, May felt what he described as a "mega-painful sensation" in his throat. Although he was going through discomfort, he tried to downplay the situation.
Despite attempting to stay cool and collected, May's wife could tell that something was wrong. She made an executive decision to take him to the emergency room where the solution to his concerns called for emergency surgery.
It turned out that May had a serious tear in his esophagus and if he did not undergo that surgery, he very well could have lost his life. While this sequence of events has provided May with a new perspective on life, he also acknowledged that there is no way to prepare for something like this.
"It was extremely frustrating. You can't plan for it. You can't try to prevent it. It just happened," May said. He went on to add a little humor to the situation by saying, "It wasn't on my bingo card for 2024."
May is now recovered from the surgery and feels healthy heading into Spring Training. With the surplus of pitching the Dodgers possess and coming off a championship season without his services, May's role on the team could change. Regardless of what he is asked to do my manager Dave Roberts, May will buy into that role and be appreciative that he is back in uniform.