The Dodgers announced that they’ve placed scheduled Opening Day starter Clayton Kershaw on the injured list and recalled right-hander Dustin May from their alternate training site. The team has termed Kershaw’s injury as “back stiffness” and will surely provide more details in the near future. Kershaw had been slated to take the hill against the Giants just under four hours from now. May will take the ball in place of Kershaw tonight.
Kershaw incurred his current injury in the weight room earlier this week, manager Dave Roberts tells reporters, adding that right now he’s unsure as to when the left-hander will be able to return (Twitter links via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). May was made aware of the possibility of this switch last night, per the manager.
With Kershaw suddenly and unexpectedly shelved, the Dodgers’ rotation will now consist of May, Walker Buehler, Ross Stripling, Julio Urias and Alex Wood. It’s still a talented group with plenty of intriguing option in reserve — Tony Gonsolin, Mitchell White and Josiah Gray among them — but it’s clearly a thinner group than anticipated just a few weeks ago when both Kershaw and David Price were still in the picture. That said, the ability to cultivate this type of depth is one of the reasons that the Dodgers have been so successful under the current front office regime.
In turning the ball over to the 22-year-old May, Los Angeles will entrust the season’s first start to one of MLB’s premier pitching prospects. The 6’6″ May made his big league debut in 2019, pitching to a 3.63 ERA with a 32-to-5 K/BB ratio in 34 2/3 frames before adding 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball in the NLDS. A third-round pick back in 2016, May notched a combined 3.38 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019, including a 2.30 ERA in 27 1/3 frames in a supercharged Triple-A offensive environment.
May is widely regarded to be one of the game’s 25 best overall prospects, so it’s not as though the Dodgers are simply crossing their fingers and hoping that a minor league call-up can hold his own while filling in for an injured star. May is expected to be a key part both of the team’s future and its success in 2020, although he’ll obviously be asked to contribute sooner than the organization had initially anticipated.
Wow
well rip
Classic Dodgers, gotta keep the old man fresh to blow open the post season
May worked hard to get back on the 110.
As a dodgers fan I’m actually happy with this news. Thought May should’ve had a spot.
I’m good with this as well. Let’s hope it’s just and minor blip. It might even be a blessing in disguise.
Gabe Kapler is going to have to scramble and put out an entirely new lineup! Hopefully the lefty bats didn’t go all Doc Ellis and drop acid thinking they weren’t going to play today!
This made me laugh, way too much. Much needed, so thanks
Kap can go all Lefty against May and it still won’t matter. Giants can’t really hit on either side.Lol
And This Kid May is No Joke. Big bodied RHP that touches 100 MPH and recently introduced a slider.
He’s Randy Johnson on the Right Side
Not much in the way of obvious contenders for Rookie of the Year. Some were predicting Lux, but maybe it winds up being May. The Dodgers have always done well with that award, even in years when it went to Ted Sizemore and Todd Hollandsworth.
He is meh. Hitters can get him and when they do it shows. Bozo the clown needs to cut that hair and quit squatting on ever pitch
If we see those Giants hitting the cover off the ball we might wonder if they took acid…
What a waste of an option on May lol
With the immediate turnaround it shouldn’t cost him an option year.
You guys should get more into talking about the games through a chat. Give just the basic intro to the two teams playing… what to look for. Who’s hot, who’s not and let the chat flow with the play by play.
When MLB had their fan forums, we called it a game day chat. It was fun.
You can keep up with the trade rumors side, but I think the baseball fans would enjoy it. Maybe not every game, but pick a game of the day. Give some insight… let the fans talk about the game as it’s played out.
But how would all of the advanced stats be included and discussed? Talking about a game just for fun?!? Preposterous.
Player has to spend 20 days optioned to the minors in a season for it to count as an option year.
Anyway, if Dustin May does run out of option years it probably means he busted.
He was going to be up this season anyways…..he literally was supposed to piggy back with Buehler as of 3 days ago
Well so much for everyone swearing up and down that they were trying to get the extra year on him. But frankly the fact that they called him up at all in 2019 should have put an end to that discussion before it began.
Surprised they aren’t going with Buehler on opening day.
agreed. all the service time claims here are ridiculous. everyone is being manipulated. heck, we might be being manipulated for all we know!
The Dodgers are all about winning. The organization doesn’t operate with fear of a player leaving a year earlier.
There’s a difference between service time and option years, the latter was the issue originally raised here.
Buehler will not pitch in this series. I believe he is slated to pitch in Houston.
Makes sense. Why waste a start against the Giants? Every game matters, let your stud go against the Astros to increase your chance of winning.
Different strategy this year, for sure. The goal is to get these guys ramped up for the playoffs by getting them to midseason form. For this reason, the quality of playoff pitching might be outstanding with all those fresh arms.
Buehler threw four innings in camp yesterday, not really an option for today.
Buehler has first game vs Astros. Prolly rather have him there (and keep him on schedule) than mess with him last minute
Thanks Kersh – for becoming Brett Anderson.
Amen, brother.
They couldn’t get through to Big Sexy.
Why would they want to? They are loaded with pitching.
They’d be a lot more “loaded” with Bartolo…
Nah. He loses value with the beer and nachos stands closed.
This sucks. It doesn’t feel like opening day vs the Dodgers unless it’s Kershaw pitching.
Ryu was the opening day Dodgers pitcher last season.
Rona?
Backrona. He gets it every year. Apparently catching it doesn’t confer immunity.
Liberal Steve is wrong. Stripling is starting, not May.
Nope. It’s May.
Is someone getting their sports info from Fox News?
Why are they doing games on ESPN? ESPN is garbage and is awful at baseball
I was mildly annoyed when they went split screen to show A-Rod and Vasgersian at ESPN. People can careless to see those guys.
I notice this playing an old version of The Show and then heard it on the broadcast, but why does Vasgersian say Judd instead of Judge?
Why are they doing games on ESPN? Money. The Mouse dropped serious cash on the Lords of Baseball, and so they get Opening Day.
Isn’t this the time of the year when Kershaw usually goes on the DL for back issues anyway?
Call the Mets give them an offer for DeGrom they can’t refuse. May,Lux, etc.
Wow. I was going to say there is just no way the Mets trade deGrom because they are contending this year too but for Lux AND May? And whoever etc is?
Didn’t the Mets think they could get Lux and May for Syndergaard? I know they tried to demand Paddack and Tatis from the Padres for him. I wouldn’t bother trying to trade with the Mets. They would probably try to demand Lux, May AND Bellinger.
All of a sudden, some doubt creeping in about the Dodgers and how dominant they can be. Don’t sleep on Arizona or even SD in a short season. A 3 week hot streak can propel a team to a division title this year. Dodgers are going to need a lot out of their young pitchers (Buehler, Urias, May) so the pressure is on these kids. Dodgers should have enough talent to win the West and get to the World Series but a few more key injuries could change that. Should be a fun season!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA SD AND SF?
Last season the Dodgers went 51-25 against the rest of the west and 10-10 against interleague, So lets say they go .500 for interleage, they would still wind the west by 20 games.
If the Dodgers win the world series this season. It will be because of their bats, not their pitching. With a DH now in the lineup. They aren’t looking to win many 2-1 games this season.
Yawn. They steamrolled AZ and I bet they would do it to SD too. Dodgers are far and away better than both those teams.
They won’t steam roll San Diego… it will probably be an even split
Even with extra rest Kershaw’s back still can’t hold up. I also don’t buy the weight room story. Judging by May being optioned and then brought back. It sounds like Kershaw tweaked his back earlier today. It might be time to move Kershaw to the closer role and let him become the GOAT closer after already being the GOAT starting pitcher.
Sure, np. All Kershaw has to do to be the greatest closer of all time is to average about 33 saves per year. Oh, and pitch another 20 years at that pace!
I think you may not understand what GOAT stands for. It means Greatest Of All Time. Kershaw? He is great, but nowhere near the greatest of all time.
Better luck next year, Dodgers already looking ahead to 2021.
If Kershaw becomes a closer it’s very premature to even think he will be better than Mo.