Dodgers: Tony Gonsolin’s injury update sounds a bit concerning

The Los Angeles Dodgers, despite their MLB-best 8-2 record to begin the season, have dealt with more injuries than fans would prefer since the start of spring training.

First, it was relievers Joe Kelly and Brusdar Graterol, both of whom didn’t pitch in February or March and have yet to make their season debuts.

Then pitcher Tony Gonsolin hit the injured list with shoulder inflammation.

Then Cody Bellinger landed on the IL after getting cleated in the calf. Then Mookie Betts was day-to-day with a back injury…

As for Gonsolin, Dodgers fans got an update on his status this past Sunday, and it wasn’t great. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that the right-hander is “ways away” from returning as his shoulder soreness persists.

At the very least, expect a second 10-day IL stint for the 26-year-old.

The Dodgers will be without Tony Gonsolin (shoulder) for a while.

Gonsolin, after being a key rotation member during the 2020 regular season, was used as an “opener” for the most part during the playoffs and was then relegated to the bullpen to begin the 2021 campaign, thanks to the acquisition of Trevor Bauer.

It’s unclear what caused Gonsolin’s shoulder injury, since he’s yet to pitch in a single game this year. He made the Opening Day roster but was placed on the IL back on April 4, with the move retroactive to April 1.

It’s a shame, too, because Gonsolin had himself a nice spring training. In five games (two starts), he compiled a 3.21 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 18 strikeouts across 14 innings of work.

After an impressive 2020 campaign in which he captured Baseball America Rookie of the Year honors, Gonsolin figured to be a key piece in the Dodgers’ rotation for years to come — or, at the very least, a valuable trade chip. Unfortunately, the addition of Bauer and this injury have railroaded both of those scenarios, and it’s unclear how he’ll be contributing to this Dodgers team upon his return.

He was initially slated for multi-inning relief duty, but perhaps the shoulder issue limits him a bit further than that, at least at the onset. He hasn’t pitched since March 28, so, like Roberts said, he’ll have a long way to go. He won’t exactly be starting from scratch in terms of building back up his arm strength, but he’s definitely closer to that than he is a regular workload.

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