The Los Angeles Dodgers went into this past season with a plethora of starting pitching depth and Dustin May cemented as the fifth member of the rotation.
May was building on some of his success from 2020 but had it come to a crashing halt during a start against the Milwaukee Brewers. May underwent an MRI that revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery shortly after.
It ended his year after just one month and put much of 2022 into jeopardy. Though, May did recently post a video of throwing for the first time since the operation.
With that process now started, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman indicated May is on track to return after the All-Star break, per Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
Dustin May, who had Tommy John surgery in May, has begun his throwing program and is on track to return after the All-Star break in 2022. “Everything to this point has been incredibly positive,” Friedman said.
“I think he is going to impact us at some point in the second half. And if we’re fortunate enough to get into October, I think he’ll be a real weapon for us.
May went 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in five starts. May’s 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings represented a remarkable increase from the 7.1 he averaged last season.
Turner: Dodgers planned to rely on May
May’s injury wound up being some foreshadowing for the Dodgers’ health this year and removed them of a pitcher that Justin Turner said the team expected to lean on.
“He was a big part of our rotation and he was getting better every time he took the mound. That’s a significant loss for us,” Turner said at the time of May’s injury.
“That’s a significant arm we’ve relied on and were planning on relying on. Just feel terrible for Dustin. Obviously it’s not something anyone wants to go through or experience. Just wishing him a speedy recovery and hopefully he can stay mentally strong, get through this, talk to a lot of guys who have experienced it and come out of it better and stronger.”
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