Dodgers' Dustin May recalls 'life-altering event' that derailed his 2024 season

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May was on his way back from injury, hoping to join the team to help them win a World Series, in July 2024. 

May, 27, was rehabbing from a flexor tendon and Tommy John revision surgery, with a chance to return late in the season. 

On the night of July 10, everything changed. 

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May throws during a spring training workout at Camelback Ranch. (Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images)

While May was still rehabbing at the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch facility, he ordered a salad for dinner. 

May took one bite, and felt lettuce stuck in his throat. He attempted to wash it down with some water, but knew something was wrong. 

For 15 minutes it was "mega-painful," May said via the LA Times, talking about the incident publicly for the first time last week. The pain was in his throat and stomach.

It turns out May had unknowingly suffered a serious tear in his esophagus. He later learned that the lettuce lodged in his throat perforated his esophagus, something that is very uncommon.

Once the pain wore off, May thought he would be fine. 

"I’m not a big panicker," he said. "It kind of chilled out. So I was like, ‘I’m fine. I don’t need to do anything.’"

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May warms up during spring training.  (Rick Scuteri-USA Today Sports)

Millie, May’s wife, wasn’t of the same thinking as Dustin. 

"No," May recalled her saying. "We’re going to the ER to get it checked out."

After a CT scan revealed the significance