Dodgers pitcher out for season with an unexpected injury

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Dustin May can not catch a break with his health. 

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, May is going to be sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair an esophageal tear earlier this week. 

It is another bad break for May, whose career has been consistently sidetracked by injuries. He has not pitched all during the 2024 season as he continues to recover from surgery for a torn flexor tendon in his right arm. He was set to begin a rehab assignment in the coming weeks, but those plans are obviously going to be put on hold.

It is not exactly known what caused this injury, but Passan reports it happened in a non-baseball setting. 

May is one of the Dodgers' talented young pitchers who have flashed star potential in the majors, but injuries have limited him to just 46 appearances over five years. He has never made more than 12 starts in a single season at the major league level, but has a very impressive 3.10 ERA in those limited games. 

At this point May's injury history is extensive, but until now they have all been baseball related injuries. 

Along with the flexor tendon surgery this past year, he also underwent Tommy John surgery earlier in his career and missed parts of two seasons due to that.

He is one of the best arm talents in baseball and can regularly touch 100 mph with his fastball when healthy. The Dodgers have had high hopes for him to be a mainstay in their rotation, but they have never really had a chance to consistently see what he can do. 

The Dodgers pitching staff has been decimated by injuries this season. Shohei Ohtani is not pitching this summer due to his own offseason surgery, while Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Tyler Glasnow are all currently sidelined.