Dustin May will soon make his Los Angeles Dodgers return as he is undergoing the last phase of his rehab. The pitcher has been out since May, when he suffered a torn ligament, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery. After going under the knife, May spent time with the Dodgers’ Triple-A side, Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said that May would play one more game with Oklahoma before rejoining the team. He is expected to start his first MLB game of the season against the Miami Marlins for a three-game series.
The right-handed pitcher said he still had concerns regarding his condition.
“It’s going to be a rush of emotions just because I’ve been out so long,” May said of returning to the mound at Dodger Stadium. “Even with Tommy John having a high success rate, there’s always that question mark. So just being able to check that box and be able to say I did it is going to be exciting.”
Per Dave Roberts — Dustin May will make another start with OKC on Sunday then join #Dodgers the following weekend for series at home v Miami to make his MLB return from TJ surgery
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) August 10, 2022
It remains uncertain if May would play the same role as he did before the surgery or if Roberts has something else planned for him. The 24-year-old said he was open to any possibilities.
“I’m fine either way, as I’ve said in the past,” May said. “It would be nice to start but it’s also nice to pitch out of the ‘pen and contribute in any way possible. I have open ears and eyes to whatever comes my way.”
During his time with Oklahoma, May had four starts, allowing three earned runs on ten hits while fanning 2-3 hitters across 14.0 innings. In his latest appearance for Oklahoma, he went five innings and got eight punchouts in 68 pitches.
May in, Kershaw out
Recently, the Dodgers received another injury report in Clayton Kershaw. The right-hander has been placed on the 15-day injured list with low back pain on Friday.
“Obviously, given the soreness, where we’re at, we decided to IL him,” said Roberts. “I don’t know the results yet of the MRI, but, hopefully, it’s going to be shorter than longer.”
Kershaw struggled with back pain in five of his last seven seasons. He has never missed fewer than three weeks in those five seasons. The Dodgers have put Reyes Moronta in to replace Kershaw on their active roster.
Earlier this year, Kershaw was out for a month with right SI joint inflammation, which he sustained during his cross-country flight. Roberts said the current injury was different from the previous ones.
“As I recall, the injury before was more on the right side, and I think back, hip-related,” Roberts said. “This one is more on the left side. And, again, I think it’s still back, hip-related, but I haven’t seen or heard about the MRI. This is just my conversation with Clayton.”
Kershaw sustained his latest injury in the warming-up session before the fifth inning on Thursday. He said he felt fine in the first four innings, but something pained his back after his penultimate warmup throw. Kershaw was escorted out by trainer Thomas Albert.