The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Dustin May underwent surgery on his esophagus and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
The news comes as May was looking to begin a rehab assignment in the near future. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said the right-hander was throwing “promising” bullpen sessions at Camelback Ranch.
It was conceivable May would join the Dodgers in late August or September, seemingly in time for the postseason.
He had been on the mend from last year’s right flexor tendon repair and Tommy John revision for a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in May’s elbow.
The esophageal surgery is the latest in what’s been an unfortunate trend for May thus far in his career. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 after making just five starts for the Dodgers, then was on the mound for only six games in 2022 before being shut down with a lower back injury.
May attempted to treat last year’s right elbow injury with a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection before deciding on season-ending surgery. He made nine starts last year before suffering the elbow injury.
The 26-year-old is 12-9 with a 3.10 ERA, 3.76 FIP and 1.05 WHIP in 46 games (34 starts) over parts of five seasons with the Dodgers. May’s injury history has limited him to just 20 starts since the 2021 season.
The Dodgers picked May in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
Why did Dustin May need esophageal surgery?
May needing surgery on his throat came as a surprise and was not due to any baseball-related activity.
The Dodgers explained in a statement May needed throat surgery because while at dinner he started to experience “sudden pain in his esophagus and stomach that continued after he returned home. He contacted the medical staff and ultimately underwent successful surgery on his esophagus.”
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