Dodgers News: Dustin May, Max Muncy injuries, Pride Night outrage, James Outman

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in St. Louis for a four-game set with the Cardinals and will hope to survive this gauntlet of a road trip (they'll head to Atlanta and Tampa, too) after getting a bit banged up this week.

Starting pitcher Dustin May went down with a forearm injury during Wednesday's outing. He was removed from the game after just one inning (though the Dodgers survived thanks to their bullpen and offense) and will miss 4-6 weeks with a flexor pronator strain.

At first, May departing with an ominous forearm issue almost resulted in a meltdown for the Dodgers fan base because the right-hander just underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2021. This has been his first dose of consistent, regular action since then.

Turns out, May's UCL wasn't impacted per the MRI results, but he'll miss at least a month, leaving the rotation awfully thin.

Dodgers News: Dustin May and Max Muncy injured, Pride Night drama, James Outman

But May wasn't the only player that suffered an injury on Wednesday. Though Max Muncy was in the lineup on Thursday night, he ended up dealing with some knee swelling after colliding with the wall in an attempt to catch a ball in foul territory.

He's arguably been the Dodgers' best hitter this season, so any nagging knee issue will deliver a blow this thin roster cannot afford. This will be monitored closely.

Let's sandwich some unsettling news in here. The Dodgers have now twice faced backlash over their Pride Night next month. Among the groups invited to celebrate, the LA chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drew controversy from the Catholic church. Various Catholic organizations as well as senator Marco Rubio were outspoken about their involvement in the celebration, with Rubio going as far to pen a letter to Major League Baseball about it.

Not too long after, the Dodgers uninvited the sisters to Pride Night, which is now another point of contention in the other direction, with the LGBTQ+ community expressing discontent.

The optics couldn't be worse here, especially since Pride Night is supposed to be an event of inclusion. And it's never helpful when topics like this reach the political sphere.

Onto better developments ... like James Outman! His grand slam on Wednesday propelled the Dodgers to a series win over the Twins and put him in some elite company.

Outman's second grand slam of the season in the seventh inning or later makes him the first Dodger to accomplish that feat since Nomar Garciaparra in 2006.

Remember when this guy making the Opening Day roster wasn't a sure thing?! Outman is hitting .264 with a .902 OPS, 139 OPS+, 28 runs scored, 9 home runs and 27 RBI, already providing a 1.1 WAR on the season. Though Cody Bellinger's progress in Chicago can't be denied, Outman's been overshadowing it, also thanks to the fact he's in the 82nd percentile for Outs Above Average on defense.

Though his strikeouts are a bit of an issue, complaining about the rookie's production isn't at all warranted because of how impactful he's been after a tumultuous offseason.