The Los Angeles Dodgers announced SP Tony Gonsolin will undergo Tommy John surgery, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
It was already known that Gonsolin could miss the remainder of the 2023 season after being placed on the IL. However, this update puts him in jeopardy of missing all of 2024 as well.
Gonsolin, 29, was an All-Star with the Dodgers during the 2022 season. In 2023, however, his season has unfortunately been defined by underperformance and injuries. For a pitcher who won't return to a big league mound until he's past his 30th birthday, one has to wonder how he factors into the Dodgers' future plans.
Tony Gonsolin's future with Dodgers after Tommy John surgery announcement
There's a chance Gonsolin won't pitch for the Dodgers again. Typically, recovery time lasts about a year. There's obviously been pitchers who've returned faster than that timeline, while others have taken even longer. Given that this surgery is occurring so late in the 2023 season, the odds of Gonsolin returning in 2024 would appear to be slim at the moment.
Los Angeles features a number of young arms in their farm system. They will begin to prepare for life without Gonsolin. Additionally, Dustin May will also be forced to miss a significant amount of time due to injury. As a result, LA will likely pursue starting pitching help in free agency. In fact, adding pitching may prove to be a necessity.
There are no guarantees about Clayton Kershaw's future following 2023. Meanwhile, Julio Urias is set to hit free agency following this season as well. Even if the Dodgers are able to land Shohei Ohtani, as they've been called the favorite by many, Ohtani is dealing with elbow injury concerns of his own at the moment and Tommy John surgery is a possible option for him.
The Dodgers always seem to figure things out, but LA's pitching future looks fairly uncertain at the moment.