Tony Gonsolin shows encouraging signs in return to mound: ‘Overall, just good results’
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MESA, Ariz. — Tony Gonsolin took one small step in his return from Tommy John surgery on Friday, but at least it was in the right direction, the Dodgers right-hander throwing a scoreless first inning in a 7-3 exhibition loss to the Chicago Cubs in Sloan Park.
Gonsolin, pitching in a competitive big-league environment for the first time in 18 months, gave up a leadoff single to Ian Happ before getting Dansby Swanson to fly out to deep right field and striking out Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong with a pair of well-placed split-fingered fastballs.
Of Gonsolin’s 18 pitches, 11 were strikes. His fastball was clocked at 91-92 mph. He quickly found the command of his splitter, slider and curve after throwing his first few off-speed pitches out of the zone.
“Overall, I felt pretty good,” Gonsolin said. “It was cool to be back in like a real game. I thought the fastball execution could be a little bit better, but I thought I threw a couple of good splitties, sliders and curveballs. Overall, just good results.”
Just as Shohei Ohtani’s marriage announcement last year came as a surprise around Dodgers camp, Roki Sasaki’s previously unknown nuptials were the news of the morning.
Gonsolin was slated to pitch one-plus inning, but manager Dave Roberts opted to pull him after one and have him throw some extra pitches in the bullpen.
“I thought the command was good, the throw was good … he just looks sharp right now,” Roberts said. “I think he’s in a really good spot. Given what he’s been through the last calendar year. I think he’s going to have a really good season. Delivery looks consistent. His secondary pitches are crisp. I’m looking forward to building him up.”
Though brief, Gonsolin’s outing was a lot more encouraging than his last big-league start, when he was rocked for 10 earned runs and eight hits, including five home runs, in 3 ⅓ innings of an 11-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on Aug. 18, 2023.
Roberts revealed after that game that Gonsolin, a National League All-Star in 2022, had been “dealing with an arm issue” for four to six weeks. Two weeks later, Gonsolin underwent season-ending surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, a procedure that sidelined him for all of 2024.
Gonsolin attempted a comeback last summer in hopes of boosting the team’s injury ravaged rotation in the playoffs, completing a throwing progression in August and making three rehabilitation starts in September for triple-A Oklahoma City in which he gave up two earned runs and struck out 12 in 7 ⅔ innings.
But Gonsolin was not activated for any three rounds of a postseason that ended with the Dodgers defeating the New York Yankees in a five-game World Series for their first full-season championship since 1988.
“I think we were pretty close,” Gonsolin said. “I had talks with [general manager Brandon] Gomes and Andrew [Friedman, president of baseball operations] about it. Everything played out. We were OK, and they didn’t have to use me. It turned out well.”
Roberts said Gonsolin looks much better this spring than he did at any point of his attempted comeback in 2024.
“I think at that point in time, he was trying to give us whatever he had left, which he did,” Roberts said. “Where he’s at now, he looks really sharp. … We just can’t forget how good Tony has been for us when he’s healthy. So I’m certainly not sleeping on Tony. I think he’s going to be good for us.”
There are no immediate plans to introduce the system in regular-season games yet. Questions remain about how large a role it should have in games that count.
Gonsolin, 30, was one of baseball’s best pitchers in 2022, going 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 24 starts, striking out 119 and walking 35 in 130 ⅓ innings. He regressed, mainly because of his arm troubles, in 2023, going 8-5 with a 4.98 ERA in 20 starts.
With the Dodgers adding stars such as Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto before 2024 and Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki this winter, Gonsolin has been pushed so far down the depth chart that he is battling Dustin May for the final rotation spot. Sidelined for a year and a half, Gonsolin admits to feeling like a forgotten man this spring.
“Maybe a little bit,” Gonsolin said. “Just trying to go out there and compete and see what happens.”
Short hops
Shortstop Mookie Betts, catcher Austin Barnes, third baseman Miguel Rojas and designated hitter Chris Taylor each had two hits in Friday’s game, and reserve catcher Chris Okey hit a two-run homer off A.J. Puckett in the seventh inning. ... Veteran reliever Luis Garcia, who is hoping to make the club as a non-roster invite, gave up three runs and three hits — including a two-run homer to Miguel Amaya — in the third inning.
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