The Los Angeles Dodgers are due to be without Dustin May for at least two months after he was transferred to the 60-day injured list following a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection to treat his right elbow strain.
May pitched one inning against the Minnesota Twins before coming out of his start on May 17 due to what the Dodgers initially deemed right elbow pain. Manager Dave Roberts then said after the game an MRI revealed May suffered a right flexor pronator strain.
There was some initial concern that the injury was related to the previous Tommy John surgery May had that cut his 2021 season short, but it has since been reported the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the 25-year-old’s right elbow remains intact.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman admitted there was early concern May needed surgery, but now it appears he will avoid an operation, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Friedman acknowledged that “initially” surgery was a possibility for May. “I think now we’re in a good spot where that doesn’t seem like something we’ll need to do,” Friedman said.
Rather than undergoing surgery, May received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his right elbow and will be shut down from throwing for a minimum of six weeks from late May. The course of treatment has regularly been used as an alternative to Tommy John for a number of years to aid in recovery, but its success rate is not perfect.
Prior to the injury, May went 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 34 strikeouts over 48 innings pitched across nine starts this season.
Dustin May recovery timeline
After being transferred to the 60-day IL, May now isn’t eligible to return until Monday, July 17, the week after the All-Star break.
However, May realistically isn’t in a position to rejoin the Dodgers until August as he will need to build up and complete a rehab assignment. Gavin Stone was first to take his spot in the Dodgers starting rotation, but now Bobby Miller has taken hold of it.
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