The Red Sox were one of the most hyped clubs heading into the deadline, with promises of bold moves to strengthen their rotation. Yet, despite all the buildup, Craig Breslow and company ended up with little more than junk. Former GM Jim Bowden even tagged Boston as the franchise that “asked for too much” in trade conversations, leaving them vulnerable when injuries inevitably occurred. Now, that helplessness is on full display after a calculated bet at the trade deadline has left them without the safety net they desperately required.

The breaking news Tuesday read something like this — with Dustin May, the so-called deadline prize from the Dodgers, headed to the injured list, the Sox have no choice but to call up newcomer Connelly Early from Triple-A Worcester. Early, the club’s No. 6 prospect, has impressed in the minors with a 2.60 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 100.1 innings. But his major-league debut comes under fire, not celebration.

Red Sox insider Tyler Milliken summed it up bluntly: “Not very shocking that the guy who hasn’t thrown 100 innings in a professional baseball season since 2019 is now injured. Not one bit.” That sarcastic remark echoes the sentiment of many who feel Boston’s front office miscalculated in betting on May, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right elbow neuritis. The Red Sox haven’t officially ruled out the 28-year-old for the remainder of the regular season, though the timing of his injury would likely allow him to make just one more start before the end of the year if he returns after a minimum-length stay.

With that, the fans are now left asking: Why was more reliable pitching depth not prioritized when it was clear the franchise was in the playoff hunt?

Those questions put Breslow directly in the limelight. Instead of strengthening a fragile rotation with proven arms, he is left relying on young contenders like Early to bail out the big-league club. While Early’s Triple-A manager Chad Tracy insists the 23-year-old “looks like he belongs,” the reality is stark: Boston’s playoff hunt now rests on a rookie being thrown into the fire because deadline choices came up short.

But while Craig Breslow shoulders much of the blame, Red Sox fans are not holding back either. Social media has been filled with sharp takes on Dustin May’s short-lived Boston stint, reflecting both outrage and resignation.

Fans rip into Dustin May after Red Sox gamble backfires

“Ha! I think it’s more like they’ve had their pitching lab look to fix him and have thought, Jeez, there’s nothing we can do here. Perhaps we have seen the last of May in our uniform,” one fan wrote, echoing a sense that the Boston Red Sox may have bought a broken product. May, who had not exceeded 100 innings in a season since 2019, looked like a problematic situation from the moment he was added. The injury only substantiated those concerns.

Another fan unleashed frustration at the trade deadline decisions themselves: “Really wish Breslow got us just one semi-legitimate starter at the deadline. I at least appreciate the team knowing when to give up and admit they were wrong with May.” That sentiment is rooted in stats. May went 7-11 with a 4.96 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 25 appearances this season, hardly stabilizing a rotation craving consistency.

Some fans questioned whether Dustin May’s career had hit rock bottom. “Does May have any shot of a major league deal in free agency? Seems like he’s gonna have to settle for a minor league deal.” It is a fair point. After missing all of 2024 with surgery and now struggling through a terrible 2025, May’s value has collapsed. With a career 3.86 ERA, he possesses talent, but health and durability problems cast a bleak forecast for his future.

Others were less forgiving, grading his tenure in Boston as a flat-out failure. “Welp, the Dustin May experience was an F- (would be F+ if he didn’t have that gem in Houston).” The figures back it up: since coming to Boston, May has been shelled for 16 earned runs in his first five starts, forcing Alex Cora to downgrade him to the bullpen before the injury even occurred.

Ultimately, some simply dismissed his IL session altogether. “This is phantom IL. May is not effective,” one fan outraged, reflecting skepticism about whether the “undisclosed injury” was just a cover for bad production. While the Red Sox insisted otherwise, it is telling that May was pulled from the rotation before the injury announcement, igniting theories that Boston may have already moved on.

In the end, fans’ reactions tell the same tale the numbers do: the Dustin May gamble was a huge swing-and-miss for Boston. A once-promising arm, sidelined by both bizarre accidents and durability problems, became the centerpiece of a trade deadline that is now haunting Craig Breslow. And instead of a veteran safety net, the Sox are catapulting newcomers such as Connelly Early into the gunfire.