The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Tony Gonsolin on the 15-day injured list as part of setting their Opening Day roster for the Tokyo Series.
Gonsolin nearly returned last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, but the Dodgers elected to have him focus on returning this year.
Gonsolin went into Spring Training competing with Bobby Miller and Dustin May to earn the fifth spot in the Dodgers’ Opening Day rotation. The competition then boiled down to Gonsolin and May when Miller entered concussion protocol upon being hit in the head by a comebacker.
It’s conceivable Gonsolin held the inside track, but that changed when suffered a back injury while lifting weights. Gonsolin’s injury designation is back tightness.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested it’s a relatively minor injury but couldn’t predict when Gonsolin would return.
Gonsolin’s final Cactus League appearance wound up being Feb. 26. It was an encouraging outing out of the bullpen as he allowed just one hit over two innings.
The right-hander gave up one hit in a scoreless inning when he started against the Chicago Cubs on Feb. 21.
In 2022, his last full season, Gonsolin earned an All-Star Game selection and finished the year with a 2.14 ERA in 130.1 innings pitched. He regressed in 2023, and it later became evident it was due to injury once Gonsolin underwent Tommy John surgery after making 20 starts.
Dodgers not forgetting Tony Gonsolin
When asked about the competition to make the Dodgers’ rotation and overall depth of the group, Gonsolin admitted to feeling slightly forgotten.
However, that wasn’t a sentiment Roberts shared.
“We just can’t forget how good Tony has been for us when he’s healthy,” Roberts said during Spring Training. “I’m certainly not sleeping on Tony. I think he’s going to be good for us.”
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