Dustin May underwent right elbow surgery on Tuesday to have his right flexor tendon repaired in addition to an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction revision from the Tommy John he had in 2021.
The operation was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who also did the right-hander’s first Tommy John surgery two years ago. The Dodgers expect May will return at some point during the second half of the 2024 season.
May last pitched on May 17, when he was removed from his start against the Minnesota Twins after throwing 16 pitches over just one inning due to what the Dodgers initially deemed right elbow pain.
An MRI after the game revealed May’s injury to be a flexor pronator strain. Initially, not all was bad as additional testing showed his previously surgically repaired right elbow remained intact and unaffected.
However, it was later determined that May sustained a Grade 2 sprain of his UCL, which prompted a Tommy John revision, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
May will also undergo a Tommy John revision for a Grade 2 sprain of his UCL, a league source told The Athletic.
May was originally treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection that required him to refrain from throwing for several weeks in hopes of potentially returning to the mound later this season.
The PRP injection ultimately did not promote enough healing in May’s elbow. The Dodgers did not set a timeline, but the typical recovery period for a flexor tendon surgery is six to nine months.
May went 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 3.27 FIP and 0.94 WHIP in nine starts this year, which was his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned from his first procedure last August and made six starts to close out the 2022 campaign.
Dodgers’ plans at MLB trade deadline without Dustin May
With May no longer an option this season, the Dodgers figure to be aggressive in their search for starting pitching at the MLB trade deadline on August 1.
So far, the Dodgers have been linked to Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito. They presumably would have interest in Shohei Ohtani as well if the Los Angeles Angels elect to part with their two-way star.
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