Dodgers still view Dustin May as a starting pitcher

Dustin May has been out since leaving his start on May 1, 2021 with an arm injury that led to Tommy John surgery. The right-hander will soon head out for a rehab assignment to make his way back to the big leagues and the Dodgers say he is still viewed as a starting pitcher, at least for the regular season.

Bill Plunkett spoke with the Dodgers’ front office about their plans for the right-hander and laid it all out in the OC Register Saturday.

“He’s a starting pitcher in our mind,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said this week. “Now if we get to October and based on different factors, we might reconsider that. But coming back when he does, we view him as a starting pitcher and to the extent that we can continue to build him up without any setbacks then he’ll be built up like a starting pitcher. If we have any setbacks then maybe we’ll bring him back earlier in a different role. But our plan is to build him up, have him start for us and then evaluate as we go.”

If everything goes according to the way Friedman sees it going in October, May could be deployed the way Julio Urías was during the 2020 playoffs for multiple innings late in games. That could all depend on what kind of trade deadline the Dodgers have and whether they add a starter or reliever for the stretch run.

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All-Star starters were announced Friday but today at 2:30 p.m. PT, the complete rosters will be announced on ESPN.