Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin ‘unlikely’ to pitch again this season due to elbow injury
LOS ANGELES – Overnight, Tony Gonsolin went from being able to pitch through an injury to “unlikely” to pitch again this season.
The Dodgers placed the right-hander on the injured list Saturday morning with forearm inflammation – the official label for now. According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Gonsolin will undergo testing this week to determine the source of the discomfort he has been pitching through for the past six weeks by Roberts’ estimate.
Surgery to address the issue is the likely outcome, with no timetable for his return until after the exams on Gonsolin’s elbow uncover the full extent of the problem.
“It’s something that he’s been dealing with for quite some time,” Roberts said Saturday. “It was symptomatic. I think that all pitchers have something going on with their arms and elbows, with the mileage. But we’re all aligned as far as it made sense for us to continue to give him the baseball. And right now we just feel with where we’re at, the IL is the best course of action.
“Beyond that, once he gets the scan it will be more telling.”
Gonsolin’s 2023 season started late due to an ankle injury this spring. But this is not the first time the 29-year-old right-hander has dealt with an arm injury. He missed time with shoulder inflammation in 2021 and the final five weeks of the 2022 season with a forearm strain. After his start Friday night, Gonsolin said this discomfort was “different” than last year’s forearm injury.
“It’s been six weeks where he hasn’t felt great, so I do commend him wholeheartedly,” Roberts said. “I think he’s continued to gain the respect of the guys in the clubhouse and never made an excuse. But this is something that it’s still symptomatic. I mean, was it pain free? Probably not. But I know as an organization, we were very clear in saying and knowing that you’re not going to hurt yourself worse, and we’re not going to try to do that to the player.”
Gonsolin certainly had motivation to continue pitching beyond helping the team. The two-year, $6.65 million contract he signed last winter included escalator clauses for his 2024 contract based on how many starts he made in 2023. By making it to 20 starts, however, Gonsolin has increased his salary next year by $2 million to $5.4 million.
But Gonsolin never recaptured his All-Star form. He went 8-5 with a 4.98 ERA in those 20 starts. Over his last 11 starts, he had a 7.51 ERA, bottoming out with the worst start of his career Friday night when he gave up five home runs and 10 runs in just 3 ⅓ innings.
“I do think that there’s something probably with the mechanics that over time gets changed and manipulated (because of the injury), Roberts said. “So I don’t know, don’t think there’s a really clear answer. But I think all of it has led to the inflated ERA and performance.”
With Gonsolin out of the rotation, the Dodgers could choose among left-hander Ryan Yarbrough and right-handers Ryan Pepiot, Gavin Stone and Emmet Sheehan to replace him.
Pepiot was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City as the 27th man allowed for the doubleheader Saturday. Left-hander Bryan Hudson was recalled from OKC to take Gonsolin’s spot on the roster.