Red Sox give up top prospect from Rafael Devers trade for Dodgers’ Dustin May

The Red Sox looked like sellers when they traded away Rafael Devers — now, they used the return package to buy at the trade deadline more than a month later.

The Red Sox bolstered their starting rotation just minutes before Thursday’s 6 p.m. deadline by acquiring Dustin May from the Dodgers — using a top prospect James Tibbs III — a piece from the Devers trade.

The 27-year-old May already has pitched a career-high 104 innings this season after battling injuries for much of his career.

Once Los Angeles’ top pitching prospect, the 2016 third-round draft pick made his MLB debut in 2019.

May posted a 3.63 ERA in 14 appearances his rookie season and a 2.57 ERA in 12 appearances in his second year.

Nevertheless, in Year 3, May underwent Tommy John surgery after just five starts, before then needing another procedure on the elbow in 2023. In 2024, he was the culprit of a wild scenario in which he required esophageal surgery after getting a piece of lettuce stuck in his throat.

May’s final start as a Dodger came against the Red Sox on Sunday at his new home of Fenway Park. The 6-foot-7 right-hander pitched five innings and allowed four earned runs en route to a loss.

In return for the Dodgers’ righty, the Red Sox shipped outfield prospects Tibbs and Zach Ehrhard.

Tibbs checked in as Boston’s No. 5 prospect and Ehrhard No. 27, according to MLB Pipeline. 

Tibbs is a former first-round draft pick, as the Giants selected him with the 13th overall pick in 2024, coming over to Boston as the headliner in the Devers blockbuster.

Tibbs has hit .232 with a .760 OPS across 87 games in High-A and Double-A in 2025.

Ehrhard was a fourth-round pick by the Red Sox in 2024 after turning down signing as a 13th-rounder in 2021.

He has reached Double-A this season after mashing in High-A with a .342 average and .930 OPS. Upon reaching the next level, Ehrhard has hit .227 with a .717 OPS.