Dodgers might be without All-Star pitcher to start the year

“He’s still swelling, obviously, still tender. We had an X-ray to rule out any type of fracture. Now I guess it’s just day to day,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s going to be a few days before he picks up a baseball. Every day that lingers obviously is going to cost us on the back end.”

Gonsolin has only made one start this spring, throwing 41 pitches in 2 ⅓ innings against the Los Angeles Angels. Gonsolin's inability to throw means he won’t have his arm up to strength by the time March 30 rolls around. 

Roberts didn’t outright say Gonsolin will be unavailable for Opening Day, but given the circumstances, it doesn’t seem likely the 28-year-old will be ready to pitch by then.

“I don’t want to get ahead of it, but it’s not something we feel really good about right now. We’ll just kind of see how it goes each day, and hopefully it progresses sooner than not,” Roberts said. “I don’t think we’ve gotten that far out."

Gonsolin hurt his ankle on Monday while walking off the field after practice. He went down immediately, grabbing his left ankle, and had to be carted to the Dodgers clubhouse. Gonsolin was expected to be in the middle of L.A.'s rotation coming off a career year where he went 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA.

Since Gonsolin’s injury, Michael Grove has been filling in, already making his fourth start of spring training on Wednesday. 

“Obviously, there’s a reason people talk about depth to try and prepare for things that are unforeseen,” Roberts said. “But yeah, to have Michael and Ryan [Pepiot] ready, having got their feet wet last year, it certainly gives you a little bit more peace of mind.”