"It was definitely a ride of emotions" - Dustin May reveals being "pushed out" by Dodgers, sets eyes for "playoff push" with Red Sox

The Los Angeles Dodgers parted ways with starting pitcher Dustin May at the trade deadline last week despite injuries to several arms in the rotation this season.

May, who was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2016 MLB draft, was traded to the Boston Red Sox for prospects James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard.

With Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow returning to the rotation and two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani making progress in his starts, the Dodgers were reportedly looking to move May to the bullpen.

After spending almost a decade with the organization, May opened up about his experience and what led to his exit from Los Angeles.

“I was kind of pushed out,” May said. “We had quite a few guys there in that organization. It was definitely a ride of emotions, up and down. Definitely sad leaving because I’ve been there for my whole career, but definitely very, very excited to be joining this organization and hope for a playoff push.”

However, with the trade deadline looming, the Dodgers and May had a mutual understanding.

"Communication was great,” May said. “It was kind of just like, if things kind of fit perfect on both ends, then we can make it work. I don’t think they were trying to push anything, but it worked on both sides. So I’m excited to be here.”

Dustin May reflects on shaky starts to Red Sox career

While Dustin May was excited after his move to Boston, the 27-year-old had a shaky start to his Red Sox career on Wednesday. May had a hard time against the Kansas City Royals in his first start for the Red Sox, conceding three earned runs in 3 ⅔ innings.

He was tagged with the loss as the Red Sox lost 7-3, ending their seven-game winning streak. Although he started off well, May ran into trouble in the fourth inning, conceding three consecutive singles.

"Started off good. Then just fell apart and the wheels fell off in the fourth,” May said after the game. “Just lost myself mechanically. It’s been a minute since I’ve been on the mound for some depth. But no excuses. It’s got to be better.”

Dustin May admitted what went wrong for him in his first start at Fenway Park and is ready to "make adjustments" before his next start against the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash