Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced to reporters that Tony Gonsolin would likely play in the 2023 season against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
However, Gonsolin's return will be limited to around four innings before giving way to the bullpen.
Although Gonsolin's full return to form may take a few outings, his comeback is undoubtedly positive news for the Dodgers, as he suffered a fluke injury in early March while participating in a fielding drill during spring training. He had to recover from the injury and compensate for lost prep time, which affected his projected timeline.
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Tony Gonsolin's Recovery
Fortunately, Gonsolin has recovered smoothly from his injury and will return to the majors after only one minor league rehab outing, beating the initial projection for a May return.
The decision to activate him earlier than expected may be influenced by Michael Grove's placement on the 15-day injured list due to a groin strain, and the Dodgers' upcoming off-days will provide a chance to reset their rotation.
While the schedule doesn't allow the Dodgers to avoid needing a fifth starter altogether, Gonsolin's limited capacity should be able to fill the gap left by Grove's injury.
Gonsolin is coming off an outstanding 2022 season, where he earned his first All-Star Game selection and posted a 2.14 ERA over 130 1/3 innings.
Unfortunately, he was sidelined by a forearm strain in September and only returned for one more regular-season appearance and an abbreviated start in Game 3 of the NLDS.
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