Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tony Gonsolin is making a rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, a little more than one year after he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
Gonsolin has not pitched for the Dodgers this season as he recovers and rehabs from surgery. Gonsolin was the Dodgers' workhorse to begin the 2023 season, but was placed on the injured list with forearm inflammation after allowing five home runs and 10 earned runs in his final start of the season. He then underwent Tommy John surgery.
Last August, he revealed he had been pitching through a torn UCL in his right elbow for weeks.
The 30-year-old has spent his entire career to this point with the Dodgers, who drafted him in the ninth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. An outfielder in college, Gonsolin began his career in the Dodgers' minor league system as a pitcher. He was named the Dodgers' minor league pitcher of the year in 2018 and made his MLB debut the following season.
Gonsolin saw his breakout season during the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020 season. That year, Gonsolin pitched in nine games with eight starts for the Dodgers. He went 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA and 46 strikeouts as he finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Milwaukee Brewers' Devin Williams was named the NL Rookie of the Year that season.
That season Gonsolin also helped the Dodgers win the World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching in two of the six games of the series.
Since the 2020 season, injuries have impacted Gonsolin annually. He missed the start of the 2021 season due to shoulder inflammation, and also missed time later in the season due to his shoulder.
In 2022, Gonsolin put up the best season of his career yet. He went 16-1 over 24 starts with a 2.14 ERA and 119 strikeouts, all career-bests. He made his first MLB All-Star Game, but did land on the IL down the stretch due to a forearm strain.
An ongoing arm injury impacted Gonsolin throughout the entire 2023 season. While he started 20 games, he went 8-5 with a career-worst 4.98 ERA and 82 strikeouts before ending his season early — or late, depending on how you look at it.
His return on Tuesday ideally marks the start of his return to the pitcher he was when healthy before the 2023 season.
Tuesday also marks the return of starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has been on the IL for over two months with a sprained rotator cuff. He will start his first game back against the Chicago Cubs.
