May split the year between the Dodgers and Red Sox, posting a 4.96 ERA in 132 1/3 innings across 25 appearances (23 starts), along with a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 9.6% walk rate. He made 19 appearances (18 starts) with the Dodgers through July 31 and posted a 4.85 ERA in 104 innings, although he did post a slightly above-average groundball rate at 43.8%. That production dropped after he was traded to the Red Sox. In six appearances (five starts) in Boston, May posted a 5.40 ERA in 28 1/3 innings and saw a slight increase in walks while striking out just 19.5% of batters he faced. His projected numbers, which included an xERA of 6.26 and a FIP of 5.39 after the trade, were in line with that performance.
Injuries have unfortunately been a theme in May’s career. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and made just six starts upon his return in 2022. He then made just nine starts in 2023 while dealing with a right forearm strain, though he did post a solid 2.63 ERA in 48 innings in those starts. The following year he suffered an injury to his esophagus that required surgery, causing him to miss the entire season. His 132 1/3 innings in 2025 were actually a career high. Previously, May had maxed out at 56 innings in 2020. While the esophageal tear clearly had nothing to do with baseball, it’s clear the injuries have taken their toll on May’s raw stuff. His sinker, which he used 33.6% of the time in 2025, dropped to 150.5 km per hour after reaching a speed of 150.6 km per hour in 2023. His four-sieve and cutter saw a similar drop in speed. While his sweeper was a positive pitch with an above-average break, all three of his fastballs were negative according to Statcast’s run value metric.
Still, May has enough track records in the big league to generate interest as a free agent this season. He has a 3.86 ERA in 324 career innings, along with a 46.6% groundball rate, 21.9% strikeout rate, and 8.3% walk rate. The groundball rate will be intriguing for teams in need of back-end depth, while the strikeout and walk rates are useful. He earned $2.135 million in his final arbitration year in 2025 and will spend most of next year pitching at age 28.
Photo courtesy of Paul Rutherford, Imagn Images
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