Tony Gonsolin suffered an ankle sprain earlier this month, and the injury is already set to place the right-hander on the 15-day injured list to begin the season. The Dodgers have yet to share a more specific recovery timeline for Gonsolin, but The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya writes that late April probably represents the earliest we could see Gonsolin make his 2023 debut. On Friday, Gonsolin did some mound work for the first time since his ankle injury.
Losing a pitcher of Gonsolin’s caliber for at least a month isn’t news for the Dodgers, but the team is better equipped than most to withstand such a significant loss to the rotation. Los Angeles had a pair of promising young arms competing for the right to be Gonsolin’s replacement, with Ryan Pepiot getting the nod over Michael Grove. Pepiot will get a chance to build on the 36 1/3 innings he threw in his MLB debut season, and establish himself as the team’s top depth option in the event of future injuries.
More from around the NL West…
- Jurickson Profar finally left the free agent market when he signed with the Rockies last week, but the outfielder has yet to actually join his new club due to visa issues, manager Bud Black told The Denver Gazette’s Danielle Allentuck and other reporters. Profar is still in his native Curacao and slated to visit the consulate on Monday, with the hopes of being able to join the Rox in time for Opening Day. It is possible Profar might still need some ramp-up time during extended Spring Training given that he only recently signed, but Profar is at least in game shape, after playing with the Netherlands during the World Baseball Classic.
- Sticking with the Rockies, Antonio Senzatela’s recovery from ACL surgery hit another key checkpoint yesterday, when the righty faced hitters for the first time. Senzatela is expected to return to the Rockies sometime in May, and he told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that after yesterday’s 20-pitch session, “I feel like I’m getting closer…My knee is feeling good, everything is feeling good.” In more immediate injury news, Black told Harding and other reporters that C.J. Cron could return to the lineup as soon as today, as the first baseman has missed the last 10 days due to back spasms.
- Alex Cobb has been slowed by a knee contusion suffered after Miguel Vargas lined a ball off the Giants right-hander’s knee on March 11. Cobb told Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle that the swelling has now also moved up into Cobb’s hamstring area, but the veteran righty got through a bullpen session with no issue yesterday. Barring any setback, Cobb is still penciled in to start against the Yankees on April 1, with a simulated game planned as his last ramp-up outing prior to the regular season.
- From injury updates to roster battles, as the Diamondbacks still have to identify their fifth starter and the final two spots in their bullpen. The two battles are somewhat intertwined, as Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic writes that with Ryne Nelson and Drey Jameson competing for the final rotation job, whomever isn’t used as a starter could take one of the two bullpen roles. Carlos Vargas, Peter Solomon, and Ryan Hendrix are also competing for spots in the relief corps. [UPDATE: Nelson has been named the fifth starter and Jameson will take one of the bullpen jobs, Piecoro tweets. Solomon is out of the running for a relief role, as the D’Backs reassigned him to their minor league camp.]
Am looking forward to seeing what Pepiot does and as I keep writing here, guys need to step up.
It’s a team sport after all.
Go Dodgers.
If Snakes use Ryne in bullpen, will hitters face half-Nelson?
Rockies have tough year ahead but successfully dodged Cronic back problems.
You are going to see a lot of Pepiot. Grove too. At least one other after those two. With Gonsolin out for at least a month, May on an innings limit according to Roberts, and Kershaw only good for about 120 innings, I would think that rookies pitchers are going to have to make at least 60 starts this season.
Dave Roberts never said that Dustin May will be on an innings limit. He’s only said that they expect to manage his stress level, and he was specific in saying they don’t know now exactly what form that management will take.
No, Roberts said they intend to manage his innings.
He threw 50 innings last season so he won’t go over about 100 this season. All the projections have him around 80. That’s realistic.
No, Roberts did not say that. Here is what he actually said a month ago:
“It’s going to be different from him versus a guy that was healthy all last year. We’re definitely gonna be mindful of it. With Dustin he’s a guy that he’s, he looks strong — strong of mind as well, he’s a great competitor, so he’s always going to want more. So I don’t know, right now, the limitations, but certainly being mindful of the last year and what he had to go through. We got to be cognizant of that. But as far as like innings limits, stress of an inning, or outings or how we kind of manage it in the season, I don’t know yet. But, I’m excited for him to start the season healthy and not be in that rehab mode.”
Notice the difference.
May threw 50 innings last season because he didn’t make his first rehab start until the middle of July. You can’t make meaningful projections for his first full season back on the basis of a season where he missed more than half of it rehabbing from TJ. Pretty clearly how much he pitches this year will depend on how he progresses and whether he experiences any setbacks.
You may want to look at more recent interviews. Like last week.
May won’t go over 100 IP.
You may want to provide some linkage to back up your claims. I’m pretty sure you can’t, which is why you haven’t done it already.
Mr know it all strikes again!
Like you provided links?
Like I provided a direct quote. Like you provided nothing. Like you couldn’t easily find the same quote if you did the google thing with it. Like here’s the link because you like couldn’t be bothered.
si.com/mlb/dodgers/news/dodgers-dustin-may-will-be…
Like that.
Gavin Stone is a name to watch
Between Stone Pepoit and Grove I think we see 150= inns all year
You might be right, but I hope not. If those three log that many innings it means the top five are missing a whole lot of starts.
My vote for worst 2022-2023 off-season free agent signing goes to the Colorado Rockies. At least it’s only for one year.
As far as unnecessary, Profar to Rox is a contender. In terms of lighting one’s money on fire, it was anyone who signed Rodon long-term. He just isn’t durable physically even though mentally he is tough/battles.
I forgot about Rodon. You have a good point there. Great when healthy but cannot be counted on as we already see. To many years/dollars going to a guy who gets hurt too much.
Dude gets frustrated pretty easily. Not sure that’s a sign of mental toughness. He does battle though.
Last season when there was all the Injuries early both In spring training and first month of season.
All your heard was that spring training was to short.
I wondering why this year with all of DL trips what Is reason for this
And oblique strains and lat strains seem to be most prevalent.
For the Dbacks, with Jameson’s hyper aggressive approach and bulldog mentality, I think he could become a premier Closer in MLB.
So, you’ve come around to my way of thinking?
I personally think that Jameson still has the higher ceiling because of his multiple fastballs and the feel for his Slider; I guess that means I’d prefer Nelson in the ‘Pen so he can lean heavy on that high octane 4S.
suffer
You were the first big Jameson to the bullpen fan, so yes I have come around to your way of thinking.
I’m rooting for Nelson, Jameson and Pfaadt to play key roles on this year’s Dbacks team.
I’m also rooting for MadBum and Davies to have good first halves so they become attractive trade bait. On the position player side, I’m also rooting for Ahmed to have a good first half for the same purpose,
Pro rate the games Profar isn’t playing and don’t pay him.
I would have expected a responsible player to have been at Spring Training waiting to get signed..
I was wondering how Profar let that happen.
I’d think a good agent should be on top of making sure their client’s visa issues are in order.
Which spring training would have expected him to be waiting at? Arizona or Florida? Considering he was very recently in Taiwan for the WBC with his countrymen, it would make sense for him to end up in Curacao.
What spring training was he supposed to be waiting at? Florida or Arizona? Since to get a Visa you have to have a job, how was he supposed to do that?