WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Red Sox rotation took yet another hit Tuesday when Dustin May was placed on the injured list with right elbow neuritis, but unlike many of his teammates, May is not ready to say that his season is over.
May, who was placed on the 15-day IL (retroactive to September 6) and had rookie Connelly Early take his place on the active roster ahead of Early’s major league debut, said his IL stint is more precautionary than anything. The right-hander first felt soreness and numbness in his forearm while playing catch at Chase Field on Saturday and after reporting it to the training staff, had an MRI that revealed no structural damage. The group decided it would be best to give May some time off.
“It’s something that if I had to force it and we really needed it, I probably could force myself through it,” May said. “Just being smart in the moment to let it calm itself down and be ready for October and a playoff run.
“If we were in the playoffs and it came up, I would have kept going, for sure. We have three weeks left in the year and I think I can get ahead of it and be ready for the playoffs.”
May, who said he thought there was a “very big possibility” that he would return before the end of the regular season, will be eligible to return on September 21, when the Red Sox have seven games left. The main goal, of course, is being available for a potential playoff run. The Wild Card round would begin September 30.
May’s MRI showed that his elbow is fine and that there is inflammation in his forearm. For a pitcher who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 21 and has been plagued by injuries his entire career, the news was positive.
“That was a huge relief,” he said. “That was a big positive note when I got my results back and it was clear.”
May had avoided the injured list all season, logging a combined 132 ⅓ innings over 20 appearances (18 starts) between the Red Sox and the Dodgers. He said he didn’t attribute his arm troubles to wear-and-tear, and instead thought it was just a flare-up during a between-outing side session.
May hasn’t started since August 30 but had a three-inning bullpen appearance Wednesday against the Guardians. He felt fine in that outing, throwing 53 pitches.
“It’s not fun,” May said of his injury. “Not really where I thought I would be at, at this point, with how my season had been health-wise. It just kind of popped up and I’m trying to stay ahead of it because I haven’t done that in the past.”
May said he will be shut down from throwing for a few days as he continues to receive treatment on the affected area. How he feels when he resumes playing catch will likely determine if he’ll return this season. If he does, the Red Sox will hope he’ll show improvements after logging a 5.40 ERA in his first 28 ⅓ innings with the club. May didn’t blame health for those struggles.
“I don’t think it was anything that was affecting or altering anything before,” he said. “I hope it wasn’t. Maybe there was something underlying but I never felt it. It just popped up and I’m trying to stay ahead of it.”
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