Dodgers reveal firm date for rotation reinforcement's arrival as Blake Snell stalls

With Blake Snell on the IL for the foreseeable future, Tyler Glasnow on the verge of joining him there, and Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack, and Bobby Miller all having proven they're not tenable long-term options, the Dodgers are already hurting for starting pitching less than 20% of the way through the regular season.

The only kind of good news here is that the Dodgers expect reinforcements to come back to the team progressively throughout the season. Clayton Kershaw isn't eligible to come off the IL until mid-May but is on the right track to returning on time, and Shohei Ohtani is expected to make his Dodgers pitching debut after the All-Star break.

However, Tony Gonsolin could be the most immediate balm to the burn Snell (and maybe Glasnow's) absences have left. He probably would've gotten the last spot in the rotation over Dustin May if he hadn't been hit with back tightness during spring training.

Dave Roberts confirmed this week that, after a nearly month-long rehab stint, Gonsolin will be LA's starter against the Marlins on Wednesday. It will be his first start in over a year and a half.

Tony Gonsolin set to make his return to the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Marlins

Last year, Gonsolin looked like he was speeding through his recovery from Tommy John in 2023 and was even rehabbing in Triple-A by September. There was some speculation that he would rejoin the team for the postseason, when the rotation was basically just Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, and Landon Knack, but the Dodgers played it safe and left Gonsolin off of their postseason rosters.

It was disappointing, then, that he hit another snag after making all of that progress, which pushed his return back even further. May has held the fort down well (aside from the disastrous seven-run outing he pitched against the Cubs last weekend), but the Dodgers are still unwilling to start their pitchers without an extra day of rest and need bodies to fill in the gaps.

Even if Gonsolin doesn't appear to be in top shape when he does come back — he threw his last major league start on Aug. 18, 2023 — it shouldn't be too hard for him to look better than Wrobleski, Knack, and Miller, and at least it'll give the Dodgers some room to breathe and extra reassurance if Glasnow does go onto the IL.