Boston Red Sox fans weren't impressed when Craig Breslow traded for starting pitcher Dustin May at the trade deadline. Despite their expectations, May has looked solid in a Red Sox uniform.
The longtime Los Angeles Dodger has a 4.59 ERA over 119.2 innings on the season, but that number is mostly reflective of his starts in LA. Since he arrived in Boston, May has clocked a 2.87 ERA with 17 strikeouts and four walks in 15.2 innings.
Griffey Geiss of Pitcher'sList said May could be playing himself into a contract extension with Boston if he continues pitching at his current level. Geiss even pointed out that May has been unlucky in his few starts with the Red Sox. Opponents are batting .292 against him, but his xBA sits at just .232 with a .383 BABIP.
May is hardly the candidate Sox fans have been dreaming of when they think of offseason pitching additions. He wasn't even their first choice at the trade deadline — Boston made a hard, late push for Twins All-Star Joe Ryan, who would be an ideal offseason target, but had to turn to May when they couldn't get a deal done.
Should the Red Sox extend Dustin May after his great start in Boston?
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— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 13, 2025
May has shown flashes of excellence in the past, but his durability is the bigger question in his past. The righty is a career 3.67 ERA picher and he's posted a sub-three ERA three times over his six years in the big leagues, but he's never posted a full season of work. He's logged nearly 120 innings so far in 2025, but he's never pitched more than 56 frames in any other year of his career.
May's injury issues could be behind him. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and 2023, and it's hard to imagine him needing at third procedure. Still, he has very little experience for a six-year MLB veteran, as most of his career has been spent rehabbing from various ailments and surgeries.
The Red Sox shouldn't extend May unless they can do so for an incredibly team-friendly price and he continues pitching just as well or better than he has lately. Boston will lose Walker Buehler to free agency this year, and potentially Lucas Giolito, as well, if he pitches more than 140 innings this year. It needs an experienced, clear No. 2 to follow Garrett Crochet in the rotation first and foremost, and May probably won't be that unless something dramatic changes with his stuff and injury history.