Walker Buehler to undergo season-ending surgery; Dodgers set to recall Dustin May from IL

The Dodgers will be without their ace for the 2022 Playoffs, after announcing that starting pitcher Walker Buehler would miss the remainder of the year due to season-ending elbow injury. 

Buehler was originally placed on the Injured List after leaving the team's June 10 game against the San Francisco Giants, and was expected to miss anywhere between 10 and 12 weeks with what was described as a flexor strain. 

However, on Monday the Boys in Blue announced that Buehler would undergo surgery which would bring his season to a premature end, though they did not provide much detail on the extent of the injury. 

Prior to his time on the IL, Buehler was 6-3 with a 4.02 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched. The 2022 season proved to be more of a struggle for Buehler than years prior, as the two-time All-Star featured a stunning 2.90 ERA and 632 strikeouts in 573 and 1/3 career innings pitched. 

It's worth noting that after getting drafted by Los Angeles in the First Round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery. 

It was still unclear how much time Buehler would miss while recovering from the surgery.

Even with his early exit on the year, the Dodgers rotation has been the best in the majors thanks in large part to a surprising performance from the likes of Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson, who have combined for 27 wins thus far. 

In a somewhat fortunate turn for the Dodgers, the team announced that they were also set to recall young flamethrower Dustin May from the 60-Day Injured List after his own recovery from injury, after getting the ill-fated Tommy John surgery in May 2021. 

May has impressed in six rehab starts in the minor leagues thus far, tossing 21 innings and piling up 36 strikeouts in that span to the tune of a 1.71 ERA.