Dodgers still far off from solving rotation issues after Dustin May injury

The Los Angeles Dodgers saw Dustin May go down with a season-ending injury earlier in the month.

When the campaign initially started, we really thought the rotation taking hits here and there wouldn’t be much of an issue. This roster had David Price, Tony Gonsolin and others ready to step in and take over at a moment’s notice.

The only problem? Price and Gonsolin were also injured when May hit the shelf.

Price was just activated off the IL this week, though he’s still not built up to start after having his 2019 cut short, missing all of 2020, and beginning this year in the bullpen.

As for Gonsolin, he’s still not built up to eat innings after he was booted from the rotation in favor of May and Julio Urias before hitting the IL with a shoulder issue.

And his situation is not progressing as quickly as many were hoping.

When is Tony Gonsolin going to be ready for the Los Angeles Dodgers?

At this point, Gonsolin isn’t built up to pitch four innings, which seems insane. But that’s what the Dodgers are dealing with right now.

They’re decimated with injuries on all fronts. The bullpen is a skeleton crew. May’s absence from the rotation continues to loom large. The lineup continuously has guys in and out, not allowing for the offense to establish a rhythm.

So far without a fifth starter, the Dodgers have gone with a bullpen game with Jimmy Nelson at the top and have given a start to Edwin Uceta. Both were losses. And they don’t want to call up Josiah Gray. This simply cannot continue.

Luckily, the Dodgers have rebounded to 24-18 and sit only two games behind the Giants for the NL West lead. They’ve managed to stay afloat despite the nonstop bad news over the last month or so.

Can they continue to get by with all of these circumstances still not in their favor, though? After they finish up their series against the Diamondbacks, they have a total of 15 games (through June 6) against the Giants, Astros, Cardinals and Braves, eight of which will be on the road.

If Gonsolin isn’t returning until well after May 31, then there needs to be a solution for the starting rotation as soon as possible. Bullpenning games and using uninspiring options to round off the rotation will only further tax the relievers and put more pressure on the offense.

Dodgers: Current plan for Tony Gonsolin still doesn’t help LAD much at all

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still working on building up Tony Gonsolin as a starter ... but it's taking too long. How much longer can the rotation wait?