Eric Stephen is the managing editor of True Blue LA, where he's covered the Dodgers since 2009, and the co-host of the Three-Inning Save podcast. He's on Bluesky at @ericstephen.bsky.social.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Dustin May will be the fifth starter in the rotation to start the season, and that Tony Gonsolin suffered an injury that will sideline him to open the season.
Roberts was a guest Monday on Dodgers Territory with Alanna Rizzo and Clint Pasillas, and within the conversation said May would be his fifth starter in the rotation to open the year.
"As far as the fifth starter, I think it's Dustin," Roberts said. "He's pitched well getting back, Tony with the little hiccup just not being able to build up. I think Dustin makes a lot of sense."
Earlier in the conversation, Roberts said the hiccup was with Gonsolin's back, suffered while lifting weights. Gonsolin's last Cactus League appearance was two innings on February 26, though he did also pitch on a back field on the team's off day on March 3.
For May, his last major league game was May 17, 2023. He missed the rest of that year after flexor tendon repair in his right elbow plus revision to his 2021 Tommy John surgery. He started the rehab trail last season but in July suffered an esophageal tear that ended any hopes of a 2024 comeback.
May's last Cactus League start was last Thursday, with three scoreless innings against the Rangers.
Earlier Monday in camp, Roberts told reporters that the fifth starter would remain back at Camelback Ranch while the team heads to Tokyo, in order to keep building up for the regular season, per Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic.
Given that both Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are slated to start the Dodgers' exhibition games in Japan against Yomiuri and Hanshin, respectively on Saturday (Saturday night and Sunday afternoon in Tokyo), it's likely May, Glasnow, and Snell will be the three exempt players once the opening day roster is finalized on March 18.
That leaves room for three other pitchers to make the active squad. Roberts already told non-roster invitee Matt Sauer he would be on the Dodgers' 31-player travel roster to Japan, but it's unclear just yet whether he will be active against the Cubs.
Roberts also said on Dodgers Territory that Bobby Miller will start in the minors. Miller has been working his way back since getting hit in the head by a line drive on February 20.
This brings some clarity to the potential travel roster on the pitching side. With Gonsolin and Miller out and May staying behind in Arizona, that leaves 13 healthy and available pitchers on the 40-man roster. Non-roster invitees Roki Sasaki and Sauer make 15.
That total includes Nick Frasso, who was already optioned to the minors on March 2. That doesn't preclude him from making the trip if they so choose. Landon Knack was optioned earlier in camp last spring and still made the trip to Seoul.
The only other non-roster pitchers still in big league camp besides Sasaki and Sauer or veterans Luis García and Giovanny Gallegos. If May does indeed stay behind, it sure seems like another non-roster pitcher is headed for Tokyo.