The Los Angeles Dodgers closed out their homestand with a thrilling victory against the Minnesota Twins to win the series, but unfortunately they will be without Dustin May for some time.
May was removed after the first inning of his start with his velocity roughly 2 mph lower than his season average.
The Dodgers announced shortly thereafter he exited due right elbow pain, and after the game manager Dave Roberts revealed May sustained a right flexor pronator strain that will force him to the 15-day injured list.
May underwent Tommy Jonh surgery during the 2021 season, so the elbow pain presented more of a concern, and Roberts acknowledged it could be related to that.
However, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, May’s repaired ulnar collateral ligament does not appear to be impacted and he will receive a PRP injection with the hopes of avoiding surgery:
Those tests showed the injury didn’t appear to impact his surgically-reconstructed ulnar collateral ligament, league sources told The Athletic. May will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection into the tendon to promote healing in the area with the hopes of avoiding season-ending surgery.
May began to deal with soreness after his last start, but Roberts described it as “normal like any starting pitcher has.”
“Obviously, he felt good enough to make the start,” Roberts said. “After that first inning, the velocity wasn’t there and we saw him moving his hand. Those are signs that something is not right. … He was trying to lobby to stay in there and finish what he started, but we had to do what’s best for him and his career.”
The 25-year-old will likely miss an extended period of time.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead,” Roberts said. “I know it’s an IL, I think a month is fair as a floor. We’ll see after that.”
May entered his start against the Twins with a 2.68 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.
Who will replace Dustin May in Dodgers rotation?
Without May, the Dodgers will likely turn to Gavin Stone to fill in the rotation. The rookie made his MLB debut earlier this season after impressing in Spring Training.
While Stone left a lot to be desired in his first start, he remains on of MLB’s top pitching prospects.
Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot have been facing batters at Camelback Ranch, but neither has started a rehab assignment and need time to build up their arms.
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