Dustin May DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Dustin May will officially open the 2025 regular season as the team's No. 5 starter with right-hander Tony Gonsolin (back) opening the year on the injured list due to a back injury he suffered while lifting weights. Recovery from surgery on his right UCL and surgery to fix an esophageal tear kept May out for all the 2024 season, which means he'll most likely be on a strict innings limit in 2025. The 27-year-old has made only 20 starts and thrown 101 innings in the big leagues with the Dodgers since the start of the 2021 season due to injuries as well, so fantasy managers surely need to temper expectations. While May will open the year in the Dodgers' starting rotation, he is a candidate to move to the bullpen sooner than later once Gonsolin and Shohei Ohtani (elbow, shoulder) are ready to return.

According to manager Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Dustin May "makes the most sense" to be the fifth starter to open the season. Roberts noted that Tony Gonsolin (back) had a minor "hiccup" which opened the door for May to claim the final spot. Through five innings of work this spring, May has tallied six punchouts while allowing three earned runs, three hits, and four free passes. Last season, May was unable to pitch. He was recovering from a UCL revision surgery but then suffered an esophageal tear which kept him sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. In 2023, May logged 48 innings of work with a solid 2.63 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He tallied just 34 punchouts but generated an elite 5.2 percent barrel rate. Fantasy managers in deeper formats should continue to monitor his status during spring as he could be an intriguing late-round pick in deeper formats.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handers Tony Gonsolin (elbow) and Dustin May (elbow) could begin the 2025 regular season in bullpen roles, according to manager Dave Roberts. Although Shohei Ohtani (elbow, shoulder) won't make his debut this year as a starting pitcher right away, both Gonsolin and May could be ticketed for relief roles. The 30-year-old Gonsolin underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2023 and didn't pitch at all in the big leagues in 2024, so it would be a way to limit his innings this season. May also missed all of the 2024 campaign and made only 20 starts from 2021-23 due to injury, so it would make sense if L.A. wanted to manage his innings in a relief role. The 27-year-old also is out of minor-league options, so if he doesn't win the No. 5 rotation spot in spring training, he'll almost certainly start the year out of the bullpen.