The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered another injury in their rotation when Dustin May was placed on the 15-day injured list this past Saturday, ending his regular season.
Following a start on Wednesday, Sept. 21, May was shut down from throwing after he alerted the team of experiencing lower back tightness.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the right-hander showed no signs of the injury while throwing his bullpen session in San Francisco or warming up before the start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Although the Dodgers figured May would resume throwing shortly after alerting them to the injury, they still opted to place him on the IL because of the time it would take for him to build his arm back up.
On Tuesday, May played catch again for the first time since his last start and came out of it with a positive outlook, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“Much better today. First day playing catch since my last start, so definitely going in the right direction.”
Although the injury was described as lower back tightness by the team, Roberts said it was possibly an issue with the oblique on the left side of May’s body. May did not undergo any scans or testing, but he confirmed it’s just generally on the lower left side of his back:
“It’s just low left back. There’s nothing really super specific about it. It’s just in that area.”
Because the issue isn’t affecting May’s arm, the Dodgers remained hopeful he would be ready to return before the National League Division Series begins on Oct. 11. After throwing again for the first time since his injury, May shared that same belief:
“I feel completely confident about it.”
May is first eligible to be activated on Oct. 6, one day after the Dodgers’ final regular season game. He will likely be limited when he returns, and a postseason role is contingent on how long it takes him to fully return. “But if he’s healthy, then it’s still a weapon,” Roberts noted.
Dodgers postseason outlook if Dustin May doesn’t return
The Dodgers postseason rotation once appeared to have a surplus of options but it is now projecting to be short of viable starters who are fully stretched out for the NLDS.
Prior to the injuries to Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin and May, the Dodgers faced a decision on likely moving a starting pitcher into the bullpen — at least for the NLDS. Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney were speculated as the most likely candidates.
However, Roberts confirmed Anderson will be in the postseason rotation.
“Tyler is going to start,” Roberts said. “I don’t know what game, but he’s earned it. He deserves it.”
May in theory could be given more time to rest and factor into the rotation should the Dodgers advance to the NL Championship Series. Or he could form a tandem with Gonsolin for a potential Game 4 of the NLDS.
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