The 2021 season marked a return to normalcy of sorts as Major League Baseball transitioned back to a full 162-game schedule following last year’s pandemic-shortened campaign.
The Los Angeles Dodgers fell short of their goal of repeating as World Series champions, but still had plenty to be proud of as they tied a franchise record with 106 wins and posted the best run differential for a fourth consecutive season.
With the new year approaching, it won’t be long before the crack of bats and pop of gloves are heard in ballparks again. Spring Training camps are scheduled to open in mid-February, but that of course will depend on a new collective bargaining agreement being reached to end the MLB lockout.
Tony Gonsolin is among the players already itching to get back on the field, as he indicated in a recent Instagram post.
Gonsolin is entering his fourth MLB season and will be looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2021 campaign that didn’t begin until June 9.
The right-hander struggled upon initially returning and then was mired in inconsistency before needing a second stint on the injured list at the end of July because of more right shoulder trouble.
Despite the injuries and struggles to provide much length, Gonsolin finished a respectable 4-1 with a 3.23 ERA across 15 games (13 starts). He went on to make three relief appearances against the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series.
What role will Gonsolin have in 2022?
With Max Scherzer joining the New York Mets and Clayton Kershaw still a free agent, Gonsolin figures to have an inside track for a spot in the Dodgers’ Opening Day starting rotation next year.
If that winds up being the case, it would mark his first time holding such a role for a full season.
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