The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Tony Gonsolin will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair his right elbow on Friday, September 1. The operation will performed in Los Angeles by renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
With a recovery time of at least one year, if not longer, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it’s “fair” to not expect Gonsolin to pitch until the 2025 season. Roberts previously indicated Gonsolin could miss some of the 2024 season prior to his visit with Dr. ElAttrache.
Gonsolin had been dealing with an elbow injury throughout the year that led to struggles and resulted in being placed on the 15-day injured list on August 19 following a career-worst start against the Miami Marlins. Gonsolin had since been transferred to the 60-day IL.
He ends his season with a 4.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 103 innings, just one year removed from being among the top pitchers in the National League and earning his first career All-Star Game selection.
The Dodgers kept Gonsolin in their rotation because they believed his right elbow injury would not worsen by continuing to pitch. There also was an extreme need for starting pitching depth because of additional injuries.
“I think where were were at in that point of time, and it’s been six weeks or something like that where he hasn’t felt great, and so I do commend him wholeheartedly,” Roberts recently said.
“I think he’s continued to gain the respect of the guys in the clubhouse and never made an excuse. Was it pain-free? Probably not. But I know as an organization we were very clear in knowing he was not going to hurt himself worse. We’re not going to do that to the player. We were all aligned and felt good about that. So I do complement Tony.”
The 29-year-old also began the season injured after spraining his left ankle in Spring Training, which caused him to miss a stretch of time. When he returned, Gonsolin was ineffective, which Roberts attributed to the pitcher not recovering well between starts, but didn’t offer any other specifics.
Tony Gonsolin’s contract with Dodgers
Gonsolin is under team control through the 2026 season, which covers his age 32 season. He will have two seasons to get back on track once he returns before entering free agency.
He previously signed a two-year extension for 2023-2024 that included performance bonuses based on a points system for starts, or relief appearances of 3.1 innings. His 2024 base salary was set at $3.4 million, but Gonsolin wound up earning an additional $2 million by making 20 starts this season.
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