Dodgers' Tony Gonsolin May Not Return This Season, After All

The Dodgers were hoping the 2025 season would feature a full season of Tony Gonsolin in their starting rotation.

Instead, it could prove to be just a fleeting glimpse.

Gonsolin, who's been on the injured list since June 7 with right elbow discomfort, still hasn't begun throwing in any capacity since he was shut down. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Doug Padilla of the Southern California News Group, that time is running out for the right-hander to be able to pitch again this season.

Time ran out on Gonsolin to pitch for the Dodgers in 2024, as he began but did not finish a minor league rehabilitation assignment last September.

Gonsolin began the 2025 regular season on the injured list after tossing three scoreless innings in spring training. He returned April 30 and made seven starts without missing a turn in the rotation.

Some of his outings went well. Gonsolin threw five shutout innings in Phoenix on May 11 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, five days after he allowed two runs over five innings of a no-decision in Miami.

But Gonsolin struggled over his final four outings. From May 18 to June 4, he went 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA. He walked 14 batters and allowed 20 hits in 20 innings.

Overall, Gonsolin was 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA. To return to the Dodgers' rotation, he not only must overcome whatever is wrong with the right elbow that required Tommy John surgery in August 2023. He must also be pitching well enough to crack a Dodgers rotation that presently includes Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw, and could add Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki before the regular season ends.

An MRI in June revealed no structural damage to Gonsolin's surgically repaired UCL.

Gonsolin's inability to stay healthy, and his inefficiency during his brief return, is part of the reason why Dodgers starting pitchers have a 4.14 ERA (20th in MLB) and have completed just 467.2 innings (30th).

The Dodgers drafted Gonsolin in the ninth round of the 2016 draft and converted him to a pitcher after he also dabbled in the outfield in college.

Using a mid-90s fastball and a devastating splitter, Gonsolin reached the majors in 2019. In 2020, he was arguably the Dodgers' best starter, going 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA in the pandemic-shortened season. Gonsolin made four postseason starts as the Dodgers won the World Series, and finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

In 2022, Gonsolin used a strong first half (11-0 with a 2.02 ERA in 17 starts before the break) to make the National League All-Star team.