Elephant Rumblings: Trevor May speaks to progress with mental health issues

Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!

Trevor May has been on a good run since the All-Star break and firmly established himself as the A’s closer. Since the Midsummer Classic, he’s converted 12 of 13 save opportunities while posting a 2.16 ERA and 3.02 FIP.

That’s great progress considering that May began the season with a whopping 12.00 ERA through his first eight appearances before spending over a month on the injured list due to anxiety issues.

Trevor has been very open about his struggles through the season, and as Curtis Pashelka at The Mercury News detailed yesterday, by being in the present moment and accepting that good and bad things inevitably come to all of us, the 34-year-old righty has been coping much better.

May also said that his openness about his mental health struggles has created more mutually supportive connections with others, and that people have generally been more uniformly sympathetic than in the past, thanks to the destigmatization of mental illness that has been taking place in our culture. In the past, Trevor said that he experienced closer to a 50/50 mix of positive feedback and “vitriol” in social media discussions about mental illness.

May will be come a free agent after this season, and he seems better equipped now to manage the uncertainties that come with that, too.

“Honestly, letting go of that a little bit too has been helpful, and not worrying so much about it,” said May.

It’s great to see that more players like Trevor May are finding the courage to be open about mental health issues, which affect us all to some degree, whether directly or through friends and family. Greater openness has been a big part of removing the stigma attached to mental illness and is making it easier for people to get the support they need.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with mental illness, take action. If you don’t know where to start, consider contacting the National Alliance on Mental Illness. If you are in crisis, you don’t need to go through it alone: contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline. Sometimes, just talking to someone who cares can make a big difference in the most difficult moments.

Have a wonderful weekend and be well, AN.

A’s Coverage:

• Pashelka: By dealing with anxiety, Oakland A’s closer finds success, acceptance and peace ($)
• Ravani: A’s reject offer from Black-owned Oakland development group to buy half of the Coliseum ($)
• Lockard: Roots, Soul soccer to include fans as owners, be ‘Oakland’s team more than ever’ ($)

MLB News & Interest:

• Stark: MLB just tweaked Triple A’s electronic strike zone: What you need to know and why it matters ($)
• MLB.com: Fresh faces charging up Starting Pitcher Power Rankings
• DeRosa: Who are MLB’s best outfielders in 2023?
• McDonald: Rangers To Promote Evan Carter, Place Adolis García On IL
• Rosenthal and Sammon: Beyond the slap: ‘Whatever you think you know about Tommy Pham, you don’t’ ($)
• Slusser: ‘There is some extra anxiety’: How MLB handles security, increased threats ($)
• Today in Baseball History

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Korach and Reba!