May (elbow strain) out until after All-Star break

ATLANTA -- The Dodgers transferred Dustin May to the 60-day injured list on Tuesday, officially ruling out the hard-throwing right-hander until at least sometime after the All-Star break in mid-July.

The 25-year-old exited his May 17 start after just one inning and 16 pitches with what the Dodgers called “right elbow pain.” An MRI later that day revealed a flexor pronator strain in his right elbow.

May, of course, underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2021 and was making just his 15th start since returning from the lengthy injury. The Dodgers and May’s camp initially hoped that the injury would only sideline him for four to six weeks, but that timeline was always overly optimistic given May’s injury history.

May received a PRP shot this week, which will prevent him from picking up a baseball for over a month. Once time passes, May will undergo some more testing -- which is standard following a PRP shot -- and that will determine the next step in his recovery.

If all that goes well, May would then need to build up to a full-time starter, which takes about six weeks. Due to May’s importance and injury history, the Dodgers will be cautious with the right-hander every step of the way. May’s first day eligible off the injured list is on July 17, but even that seems unlikely.

Losing May for an extended period of time is a big blow to the Dodgers’ rotation. May, a former top prospect, was trying to establish himself as a consistent big league starter and was doing a good job of that this season. He was 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA over his first nine starts, striking out 34 over 48 innings.

Aside from May, the Dodgers are also without ace Julio Urías for at least two and a half weeks as the left-hander works through a left hamstring injury he suffered during his May 18 start against the Cardinals.

With May sidelined for at least two months and Urías set to miss his next two to three starts, the Dodgers are leaning on top prospects Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller. Stone has made two starts and is still finding his footing at the big league level. Miller made his Major League debut on Tuesday against the Braves, probably a few weeks or months before the Dodgers would’ve liked.

Stone will get at least three or four starts, with Miller headed towards the same path. That will give the Dodgers an idea of how the two talented young pitchers handle the responsibilities of pitching in the Majors.

The Dodgers knew exactly what they had with May, but now they’re just hoping he’ll be able to contribute at some point this season.