The Los Angeles Dodgers have been able to withstand several injuries to pitchers throughout the season, and as they begin to shift a focus toward the playoffs, they expect Tony Gonsolin to be soon be back the team.
Gonsolin has been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 29 due to a right forearm strain, and last Friday, threw an estimated 30 pitches in a simulated game that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted was “encouraging.”
After nearly a month of missed games, Gonsolin only has so much time to prepare for the postseason push. Gonsolin followed up that work with a bullpen session on Saturday that went well enough to green-light a rehab assignment for the right-hander.
“He is going to go to OKC and he will pitch for them on Tuesday. And the plan is for him to go two innings and then he’ll join us,” Roberts said. “If that goes well, then he’ll slot in at some point in time and a pitch for us, so fingers crossed that two innings in OKC goes well.”
Gonsolin hasn’t pitched since he tossed five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 23. Despite putting together an All-Star campaign, he’s only pitched 34.2 innings. Given that the regular season is heading into its final week, there isn’t much belief Gonsolin have time to build up to a normal workload.
“I think the ceiling for Tony would be four innings, which would be sufficient,” Roberts said. “And then as we look out, there could be more going forward.”
If the Dodgers happen to make it onto the National League Championship Series and beyond, there could be a scenario where Gonsolin is able to pitch more than four innings per start.
How Tony Gonsolin fits on Dodgers postseason roster
With Gonsolin limited due to constraints with the amount of time left until postseason baseball begins, the Dodgers will essentially need to use him as an opener.
A piggyback role with Gonsolin and Andrew Heaney could be an option for the Dodgers, just as was done with Tyler Anderson early in the season, which yielded positive results. However they plan to deploy Gonsolin, his stuff has been electric, and with enough swing-and-miss ability in that arm, he is a weapon for Roberts and his staff.
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