The Dodgers will call up prized right-handed pitching prospect Dustin May in time for Friday’s game against the Padres, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link).
The 21-year-old May only made his Triple-A debut on June 30, but he’ll now get his first taste of Major League competition after posting a 2.30 ERA over 27 1/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Over his entire minor league career, May has a 3.50 ERA, 4.43 K/BB rate, and 8.8 K/9 rate in 403 2/3 innings.
A third-round pick in the 2016 draft, May emerged on multiple preseason prospect ranking lists, and his solid performance this year has only elevated his stock. Fangraphs currently ranks May as the eighth-best prospect in baseball, while ESPN.com’s Keith Law (13th), Baseball America (26th) and MLB.com (35th) were only somewhat less bullish.
May boasts a three-pitch arsenal that includes a two-seam fastball that can touch 97mph, a cutter that reaches the low-90s, and an impressive curveball. On the 20-80 scouting scale, MLB.com ranks all three pitches with at least a 60-grade, topped off with a 65-grade fastball. May throws a lot of strikes, and doesn’t allow many walks or home runs. While his 27 1/3 innings in Triple-A is a small sample size, May didn’t allow a single homer during his brief stint in the very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
As one might expect, May’s potential has attracted a lot of attention from potential trade partners, though the Dodgers resisted all offers involving the young righty. May was reportedly heavily targeted by the Orioles last year when Baltimore and Los Angeles were in talks about Manny Machado, though the Dodgers were able to retain May while still landing Machado for a package of five other prospects. More recently, the Pirates had interest in May while discussing Felipe Vazquez deals with L.A.
With May still in the fold, he’ll now become a weapon for the Dodgers as they pursue another trip to the World Series. While the rotation hasn’t been quite as much of a revolving door for the Dodgers this season as in past years, May will slide into the fifth spot in the rotation with Rich Hill and Ross Stripling both sidelined with injuries. Julio Urias most recently served as the fifth starter, though it seems as though he’ll return to his previous role in the bullpen. Given how flexible the Dodgers are with pitcher usage, May will likely see some time as a reliever himself later in the season.
Let’s go! Bullpen help has arrived.
Oh BOY! I am ready for TEAMS to TRADE in AUGUST players NOT on the 40 man roster.
August trades are no longer allowed.
Unfortunately
Yes still can for guys like Drew Butera because in the Minors and not on any 40 man roster. Don’t know about DFA guys,
They have to be on a minor league contract.
Playoff Rotation:
Ryu
Buehler
Kershaw
Maeda/May
Bullpen:
Maeda/May
Kelly
Urias
Kolarek
Baez
Jansen
Looks pretty good to me.
You forgot Rich Hill, who will be number 4.
This will be their deadline additon. Nothing wrong with not wanting to overpay for a relief pitcher.
Pretty much what the A’s decided on. One of Puk, Jefferies, Finnegan, Cotton or Manaea will end up being better for us in the long run anyways.
Luzardo?
Oh well, at least they didn’t trade for a guy who is 3-10 with a 6.00 ERA in Class-A, like my Yankees did and yes, that was the only move they made yesterday. #Fail
Well , bummed by no trade additions of substance but I love all the new blood coming through the pipeline. Hope they can get it done this year !!
Dodgers farm is a well oiled machine.
As long as he is lights out I’m ok with it…definitely didn’t want to give up him or Lux for a bullpen arm
I’ve seen this guy pitch. Maybe he just had a bad game, but all of his pre-pitch motion definitely affects his delivery and he was ineffectively wild. He did not have any swing and miss stuff, and if it wasn’t for Lux behind him, that game would’ve ended terribly. He needs to work on refining his motion and control before he will be quality.
Friedman is banking on the kids now. Gonsolin looked good in his first test now its Mays turn
He did? You mean when he gave up 4 ER in 4 innings?
1st bullpen test. That start in AZ was plagued by awful defense anyway so that stat line is deceiving
Defense was bad but 4 of the 6 were earned.
Gonsolin got beat up a bit by the Dbacks the first time he was called up, He looked better versus the Rockies, though.
If my body did what his is doing in that picture it would explode
That picture is awesome.
I think something to that effect is what would happen to of us if attempting to throw a ball like a professional pitcher.
Most* of us
His leg kick is pretty wild too
Every Dodger fan will see down the stretch why Friedman didn’t want to grossly overpay those hostage takers in Pittsburg. Dustin May is polished and ready.
I would have taken Greene for less.
Yeah, it’s not that Friedman didn’t overpay for Vasquez. It’s that he didn’t really do anything significant to strengthen the bullpen. His attitude regarding relief pitching is the biggest obstacle for the Dodgers.
So you were in the room and heard all the deals he turned down?
We didn’t need to be in any special rooms to know that he failed to make any deals.
Do you know Friedman signed Vasquez as a teenager, Melancon & Vasquez were one traded for one another?
Polished? I think that’s wishful thinking. How do you explain his performance in AA this year? I’m not sure it’s a good idea to expect a 21 year old to right the whole bullpen. That’s a little too much pressure.
3.50 ERA over 400 minor league innings isn’t good? It sounds good. Touching 97mph as a starter with 3 plus pitches? Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine whether he can pitch in a major league bullpen. Some people rise with pressure, some buckle. How do you know Vazquez is some post season god when the Pirates don’t get very far in the playoffs anyway. Small samples. I’ll take my chances with May and keep Keibert too.
How about his 2.3 ERA AAA (OKC) in the launch pad that is the PCL?
Why not call up Lux? With Hernandez and Taylor out, wouldn’t it make sense to play their prized possession?
Lux will be promoted in 2020 after Super 2 has passed. I think they feel they have enough depth this year not to burn his service time. I would have liked to see Lux up already a couple months ago, I think he’s ready.
Lux has played 9 games at 2b this year. That’s why he isn’t up yet. Dodgers don’t play the service time game.
He’s been playing baseball his whole life, you think he’s gonna learn 2B in Triple A? His glove is rated a 50 and his arm a 55, he’s no slouch. Every team keeps an eye on service time. You’re fooling yourself if you think otherwise.
Lux is close. Once he has a few more games at second under his belt, he’ll be up. If they were “playing the service time game”, then why bring up May?
The hope is Gyorko ends up being the good Gyorko and not the bad and they don’t have to call up Lux. We know this FO, they’ll exhaust every opportunity for major league talent to get strokes, like Joc at first. If neither 2b wakes up and Muncy and Joc continues to struggle, Lux will be here in no time. Don’t forget Taylor is on the mend and he was finally waking out of his slum when he went down.
Dont forget KidNegron. He is doing everything he can to push the issue.
They needed a RH bat.
Why? Bellinger, Muncy, and Verdugo all hit lefties
Yay! Now we know why there isn’t Vasquez!
It would be nice to see someone step up as a starter for the Dodgers so they could move Maeda to the bullpen. Whether he likes it or not, Maeda seems like a better asset in that role.
Idk why they dont move maeda and stripling to pen they arent good starters. Keep hearing about someone moving back yet nothing happens its frustrating as a fan seeing maeda trot out there and give up 5/6 runs in 5 innings.
Maeda and Stripling are going back to the bullpen during the post season when Rich Hill is back..
Well braves vs Astros world series. Cause it won’t be the dodgers. Because Jenson and everyone else will choke.
Who is Jenson and what does he have to do with anything? Something tells me you may not be a reliable source of information.
Meant kenley Jansen. He doesn’t deserve closer spot because he will blow it.They needed a big set up man and didn’t get.bullpen will be the dodgers Achilles heel.
Braves rotation is not that great and a lot of there youngsters regressed this year….dodgers only weakness is bullpen which can be addressed in house moving 2 starters to bullpen.
Like it was last year against the Braves in the NLDS?
Riveting content
It will be okay dude. Relax and have faith.
Correction: Urias has never been an actual starter this season. He has yet to pitch more than three innings. By design.
Glad to see this. Lets get the young bloods up here and see what they got!
You poor smucks are gonna be lucky to beat anyone in the playoffs, let alone the WS. Every other playoff team just passed you by. May, Ruiz and Gos could have got it done. tsk. tsk
Astonishing
Have fun looking up at every other team in your division for the next 5 years. It’s not our job to replenish your farm.
Lol. nobody passed them by.
The Dodgers are doing it right. Instead of acquiring veterans, they are using their own farm with players that are likely better than most of what was reasonably available.
Doing what right?
Being the best team in baseball while having a #3 rated farm system.
Funny enough the Astros just seriously hurt their future with that Greinke move. They won’t sign Cole,Correa, and possibly even Springer with all of that new salary they are taking on. And their farm system went from fangraphs top ten to in the lower 20’s.
Yes, they’ve certainly got the art of coming in second down cold. Funnily enough, the Astros just vastly increased their chances of winning another World Series and they’re doing it while their completive window is open. If they managed to do that, what Astros fan is going to complain if they don’t continue to produce championship teams every year? Approximately none? So thinking of this as a baseball fan it seems like a sound approach because winning it all has always required making tough choices. Never being willing to make those tough choices means always coming in second, and you don’t have to read anything in Fangrapshs or try to count a team’s money to know that.
Ny post called May Gingergaard? Lol
If my team was in a third in a row world series and did not win. Yeah MAD. Yet, dang man? Even two in a row? I”d be proud man. I mean losing is bad. I play sports. Bad. I get it. Though two times in a row!!
I went to a ’59 WW game. Right now I feel proud of this bunch. I am so enjoying this being a Dodger fan. Dang on!
People remember losing streaks!
a few years ago i was luck enough to have a friend share field level righ behind Dodger dugout seats with me… about 5 decades a Dodger fan i wsd floating. I decided to hit the buffet line at one point between innings. Who was in front of me? TOMMY LASAGNA! I was flustered and like a kid, all i could eek out was “last time i was at a gsme in Dodger stafium he was still in the dugout. He looked at me witb a wry glance, maybe seeing i wasn’t crazy just a stammering fool, his response was that was a loooong time ago. I was once pen pals as adults with Steve Howe, met Garvey, Reggie Jackson grew up witj a couple guys who had decent MLB careers and nothing topped that moment. It’s all about faith in the team to make it work. They are professionals at every phase of the game. If you can’t trust that then you just will never get it.
I’ll start off by saying that I dislike the doyers very much but, I think they were smart in this deadline. Everyone wanted Lux and May and the Dodgers didn’t panic, they kept them. They are sooooooo talented and deep that you just gotta go at it with what you got. They have plenty of arms and bats to get it done. They ran into a buzzsaw with Boston and maybe 2017 was their best option. I’m a Giants fan, obviously, but I do admire the Dodgers longevity and how well they have performed. They are still set for years regardless of how it turns out this year. My Giants are re-stocking and will be interesting in 2021. Maybe they can continue to intrigue this year and in 2020 but the Dodgers are still the class of the NL.