The end of September is not the time for an MLB team to be hit with a wave of injuries. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Dodgers, that has been just the case. With a banged-up pitching staff that has not been exempt from late-season infirmities, the Dodgers are preparing to lean on a rehabbing starting pitcher once he’s ready to return to the mound, but will he do L.A. justice with the playoffs right around the corner?
The Dodgers are exploring how to fit RHP Tony Gonsolin into their injury-riddled rotation
According to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had this to say about RHP Tony Gonsolin and how he could potentially fit in their pitching staff at this critical juncture of the year once he finishes his Triple-A rehab stint (h/t Ricardo Sandoval of Dodgers Nation):
“He’s been good, so we’ve just got to keep building him up,” Roberts said. “If this one goes well, then I think a conversation about him joining us at some point is more tangible.”
“The great thing about Tony is that he’s done both, and I think they both have their own value,” Roberts said. “No. 1 is to get him right, get him built up, and then we’ll kind of assess where our staff is at, in its totality.”
Can Gonsolin be counted on to deliver for the Dodgers after a down 2023 campaign?
The five-year veteran looked nothing like himself when last seen in 2023. After sporting a sub-3.00 ERA in three of his first four seasons in the Majors and never seeing it exceed 3.23, that marker shot all the way up to 4.98 on the previous campaign. He also produced 82 strikeouts across 20 starts.
Though he was able to generate wins for Los Angeles, as his 8-5 record showed, Gonsolin is coming off of a down year which is made worse by the Tommy John surgery he underwent just over a year ago to the date on Sept. 1, 2023. Though, he’s not far removed from leading the MLB with an astounding 16-1 record in 2022.
With Gavin Stone and Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day IL, and Tyler Glasgow shelved on the 60-day IL, the Dodgers could use reliable contributors to fortify their pitching ranks with only six games left in the regular season and the playoffs getting ready to kick off. Gonsolin may not have enough time to grease his wheels on the big league stage and dominate for the Dodgers on the mound.
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They’ll likely have a bye through the first round of the playoffs, but it’s more about getting reps and establishing a groove for the 30-year-old than anything else. His three scoreless innings pitched in his third and final rehab start in Triple-A on Saturday is an encouraging sign.
It’s Roberts’ hope, as well as everyone tied to the franchise, that such productivity carries over to the big league mound, and not what was seen the last time he stepped on the mound at Dodger Stadium.
