One Dodgers Tommy John Recipient On the Fast Track to Return

Pitcher Tony Gonsolin of the Los Angeles Dodgers is starting his recovery assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, a little over a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Gonsolin is still recovering from surgery, therefore he hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers this season. Gonsolin was the Dodgers’ workhorse at the start of the 2023 season, but after giving up five home runs and ten earned runs in his last start of the year, he was placed on the injured list due to forearm discomfort. After that, he had Tommy John surgery.

He disclosed in August of last year that he had been pitching for weeks despite a ruptured UCL in his right arm.

The Dodgers, who selected the 30-year-old in the ninth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, have been his home team for the entirety of his career. Gonsolin started out as a pitcher in the Dodgers’ minor league system before switching to outfield in college. He was named minor league player of the Dodgers pitcher of the year in 2018 and made his MLB debut the following season.

The COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season was Gonsolin’s breakout season. Gonsolin started eight of the Dodgers’ nine games in which he pitched that season. Qualified for the National League Rookie of the Year, finishing fourth with a 2.31 ERA and 46 strikeouts in a 2-2 record. Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers won the NL Rookie of the Year award that year.

Pitching in two of the six games in the series, Gonsolin contributed to the Dodgers’ victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series that season.

Every year since the 2020 campaign, injuries have affected Gonsolin. He was sidelined with inflammation in his shoulder at the beginning of the 2021 season and again during the season.

Gonsolin had the finest season of his career in 2022. With a 2.14 ERA and 119 strikeouts—career highs—he went 16-1 across 24 starts. Despite playing in his first MLB All-Star Game, he ended up on the injured list toward the end because of a forearm strain.

Gonsolin was limited by an arm issue that persisted for the whole 2023 season. He started 20 games, but finished 8-5 with 82 strikeouts and a career-worst 4.98 ERA before his season ended prematurely, or late, depending on your point of view.

Hopefully, he will start to resemble the pitcher he was before the 2023 season when he returns on Tuesday.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the starting pitcher, returns on Tuesday after being sidelined for more than two months due to a sprained rotator cuff. In his first game back, he will start against the Chicago Cubs.