Dodgers Pitcher Dustin May Suffered One Of History's Scariest Salad-Related Injuries

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin may suffered a nasty injury that caused him to miss all of last season and it was all thanks to an unlikely culprit: some salad.

On my list of dangerous foods, I don't think I'd have salad too high. I mean, when I think of high-danger foods, I think of things like sharp, spiny King crab legs or the molten innards of a Hot Pocket.

I mean, if the skin on the roof of your mouth isn't hanging down like the headliner of a poorly maintained Saturn, after taking your maiden bit of a freshly microwaved Hot Pocket, did you even eat one?

The only way I could think of salad turning into the widowmaker of the food world is if someone goes all "Rajneeshees" on a salad bar, but I was wrong.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, May said that he was almost ready to rejoin the Dodgers lineup for their run to the World Series, but he had a major setback in July, just a week before he was supposed to have a stint in the minors to help him rehab from flexor tendon and Tommy John revision surgery that has kept him out of action since mid-2023.

But then he ordered a salad.

Dodgers pitcher Dustin May talked about a scary salad related injury he suffered last summer. (Getty Images)

May was eating a salad at the Dodgers' training facility in Arizona when he felt some lettuce get stuck in his throat. So, he did what any veteran salad eater would do and took a big gulp of water to clear things out.

Unfortunately, he knew something was up, and it turned out that he suffered a serious tear in his esophagus.

Alright… I bought a box of mixed greens at the grocery store this morning, and this story makes me want to punt it out the backdoor.

This was very serious business, with May having to undergo surgery.

"It was definitely a life-altering event," he said. "It was definitely very serious. It’s not a very common surgery. It was definitely an emergency."

He added that he may not have made it through the night without that surgery.

Good grief, if I may borrow a phrase from one Charlie Brown.

That is downright terrifying. I didn't realize that every time I eat salad I might as well put on an Evel Knievel jumpsuit.

It's great to hear that May made it through that and will hopefully be back in action soon.