Dustin May made his return to the mound after missing nearly two whole years due to elbow and esophageal surgeries, but his return proved to be underwhelming and frustrating, prompting a trade to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline. Prior to the beginning of the 2025 season, May had last pitched for the Dodgers on May 17, 2023 against the Minnesota Twins, lasting just one inning before exiting due to a right forearm strain. He missed the rest of the season and was set to return in the middle of the 2024 season, but a tear in his esophagus not only ended his 2024 season but also put his life in jeopardy. In an interview with Michael Babcock of TMZ, May elaborated on the situation with his esophagus, expressing a new lease on life and a newfound sense of gratitude.“I was honestly worried that I wasn’t going to live a normal day-to-day life after the surgery, because it is such a rare thing and it’s not a normal procedure to do, especially on a young person… I’m very lucky and blessed, and I thank the Lord a lot for giving me the ability and the strength to overcome it.”May had to prove his worth once again to the Dodgers that he can be a member of the starting rotation, and on the final day of cactus league play, he was named the no. 5 starter as Tony Gonsolin would miss the beginning of the season due to back tightness. May impressed well enough in his first three starts, posting a 1-1 record while allowing just two earned runs over 17 full inning, striking out 14 and walking six. In the matter of another three starts, May went from a viable rotation arm to a complete liability, as he allowed 14 earned runs over his next 16 innings. He remained wildly inconsistent throughout the month of May, going from quality start to games where he allowed at least three earned runs over five innings over an eight start span. It didn’t help that both Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow landed on the injured list during May’s struggles to begin the year.After posting a combined 5.67 ERA in June and allowing nine earned runs over 11 2/3 innings in his first two starts in July along with Glasnow returning from the injured list, May was demoted to long relief duty, where he performed well in his only outing out of the bullpen, going 4 2/3 shutout innings while securing a win against the Minnesota Twins. He was brought back into the rotation for his next start against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, but struggled once again by allowing four earned runs over five innings while surprisingly not allowing a walk for only the second time all year.The Dodgers gave May every chance to prove himself as a worthy member of the rotation, but with the return of Blake Snell looming at the trade deadline, the Dodgers made the decision to trade May to Boston at the deadline in exchange for outfielders James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard. May’s struggles only got worst once becoming a member of the Red Sox, as he posted a 5.40 ERA over his next six appearances, and although the Red Sox made the postseason for the first time since 2021, May was left off the wild card roster as Boston fell in three games to the New York Yankees. For the first time in his career, May was able to pitch over 100 innings and strike out at least 100 hitters in a season, but he posted a career worst 4.96 ERA and 1.421 WHIP. His once dominant fastball, which registered within the 91st percentile with an average velocity at 96.9 miles per hour, dropped significantly to an average of 94.8 miles per hour, ranking in the 59th percentile.2025 particularsAge: 27Stats with Dodgers: 6-7, 4.85 ERA, 1.346 WHIP, 4.74 FIP, 97 K, 43 BB, 104 IP, 86 ERA+, -0.4 rWAR, 0.9 fWARSalary: $2,135,000Game of the year On July 3 against the Chicago White Sox, May carried a perfect inning into the seventh inning. Although it was broken up by a two-run home run from Brooks Baldwin, May completed seven full innings and tied a season-high with nine strikeouts as the Dodgers swept Chicago, marking the only time all season between the Dodgers and Red Sox where he went that far in any start.Roster status Dustin May is a free agent.