Dodgers’ Dustin May suffers torn esophagus, won’t pitch in 2024 – Orange County Register

Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May looks on from the dugout during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on May 17, 2023, at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Dustin May underwent surgery to repair a torn esophagus earlier this week and will not pitch in 2024.

According to a statement from the Dodgers, May was eating dinner Wednesday when he felt “sudden pain in his esophagus and stomach.” The pain continued after he returned home, so he contacted the team’s medical staff and immediately underwent surgery.

The surgery was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who added that May will be out of physical activity for two months.

The 26-year-old right-hander was working out at the Dodgers’ training facility and had progressed enough in his pitching program to throw regular workouts in the bullpen. There was hope that May (who hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since May 2023) could return at some point in the second half of the season.

The non-baseball injury is just the latest setback for the star-crossed pitcher, who has thrown a total of 101 innings since the start of 2021.

After five starts in 2021, May suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery. He returned late in the 2022 season, made six starts and was sidelined with a lower back injury.

He started last season in the Dodgers’ rotation and was 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA after nine starts. But he began to feel pain in his elbow again. A platelet-rich plasma injection didn’t resolve the problem, and he underwent more surgery in July. He underwent a flexor tendon repair and a Tommy John revision procedure on his UCL.