Here are MLB’s 8 top performers from May

The calendar has flipped to June, but before we look ahead to what should be a thrilling summer of baseball, it’s time to honor the top stars from the month of May.

Here are the players receiving honors for their incredible May performances, starting with the Players of the Month, presented by Chevrolet.

Aaron Judge, NYY, AL Player of the Month
Judge’s performance in May was one for the ages, as he became the first Yankees player to produce at least 14 homers and 12 doubles in a calendar month. The right-handed slugger slashed .361/.479/.918 with 27 RBIs over 28 games during the month, rebounding from a lackluster April in epic fashion. Judge has now won the AL Player of the Month Award seven times in his career, including May honors in each of the past three years.

Bryce Harper, PHI, NL Player of the Month
Harper was an offensive powerhouse in May, leading all NL qualifiers with a .990 OPS while also topping the league’s leaderboard in homers (tied for first with seven) and RBIs (first outright with 24). This is the first time Harper has won Player of the Month honors since April 2016, and the third time overall in his career.

Luis Gil, NYY, AL Pitcher of the Month
Gil has been sensational replacing the injured Gerrit Cole in the Yankees’ rotation. The right-hander just had one of the greatest pitching months in franchise history, posting the seventh-lowest ERA (0.70) by a Yankees hurler in a calendar month (minimum 30 innings pitched) since earned runs became an official stat in both leagues in 1913. He went 6-0 with 44 strikeouts in six starts.

Chris Sale, ATL, NL Pitcher of the Month
Sale has looked like his old self in 2024, stepping up in a big way after the Braves lost Opening Day starter Spencer Strider for the season to right elbow surgery. The left-handed Sale finished May with a 5-0 record, a 0.56 ERA and a 45-to-2 K/BB ratio in 32 innings spanning five starts. Since the beginning of 2016, only three pitchers — Jacob deGrom (0.51 ERA in March/April 2021), Hyun Jin Ryu (0.55 ERA in July 2019) and Jordan Zimmermann (0.55 ERA in March/April 2016) — have posted a lower ERA in a calendar month (minimum 30 innings).

Luis Gil, NYY, AL Rookie of the Month
It’s a double dip for Gil, who takes home top AL rookie honors — becoming the first Yankees pitcher to do so since the Rookie of the Month Award was established in 2001 — in addition to the AL Pitcher of the Month Award. The 26-year-old yielded just 14 hits over 38 2/3 innings in May, holding opponents to a .109 batting average — tied for the ninth lowest in a calendar month (minimum 100 batters faced) since at least 1901.

Joey Ortiz, MIL, NL Rookie of the Month
Part of the return package the Orioles sent to the Brewers for ace pitcher Corbin Burnes, Ortiz becomes the eighth Brewers player (and the first since Keston Hiura in 2019) to receive Rookie of the Month honors. The third baseman ranked second among NL players (minimum 50 PAs) behind Harper with a .978 OPS, slashing .307/.391/.587 with four homers, one triple, seven doubles and 12 RBIs in 23 games.

Emmanuel Clase, CLE, AL Reliever of the Month
This is the fifth Reliever of the Month Award for Clase, the third most behind Edwin Díaz (eight) and Josh Hader (six) since the current version of the award was established in 2017. The Guardians’ closer was nearly flawless in May, going 9-for-10 in save chances and allowing nary an earned run with 14 strikeouts and one walk in 13 innings.

Robert Suarez, SD, NL Reliever of the Month
Suarez has had an outstanding season as the Padres’ new closer in place of Hader, who left as a free agent in the offseason to sign with the Astros. The righty converted all seven of his save chances in May and finished the month with a 0.73 ERA, 13 strikeouts and one walk over 12 1/3 innings.