The Dodgers announced Wednesday that right-hander Tony Gonsolin went unclaimed on waivers and elected free agency. He was designated for assignment last week. Gonsolin underwent a flexor repair and internal brace procedure on his right UCL back in August. The procedure came with a recovery timetable of eight to ten months.
Now 31 years old, Gonsolin looked like a potential rotation stalwart with the Dodgers early in his career. From 2019-22, he pitched a combined 272 2/3 innings with a 2.51 ERA while fanning nearly one quarter of his opponents and posting a solid 8.5% walk rate. A pair of IL stints due to shoulder inflammation, plus time off due to an ankle sprain and forearm inflammation, limited Gonsolin’s workload in that four-year period. (As did the shortened 2020 season, of course.)
Still, Gonsolin avoided major injury until the 2023 season, when recurring elbow troubles limited him to 103 frames with a 4.98 ERA. He eventually required Tommy John surgery, sidelining him for the entire 2024 campaign. A back injury hobbled him early in 2025, but Gonsolin did return to the mound for the Dodgers in late April. He started seven games, totaled 36 innings and posted a 5.00 ERA before landing back on the injured list with renewed elbow discomfort in early July. By mid-August, he was going back under the knife.
The 93.5 mph Gonsolin averaged on his fastball in this year’s return is a ways off from its 95.1 mph peak in 2020, but it’s also a bit higher than the right-hander managed to average in 2022-23. This year’s 12.2% swinging-strike rate and 24.2% strikeout rate were both comfortably better than league average. Gonsolin struggled with his command, both in terms of missing the strike zone entirely (11.5% walk rate) and lacking precision within the zone itself (2.25 HR/9), but there were some moderately encouraging signs even amid his struggles.
Given that he’s now facing another lengthy rehab that will extend from somewhere between next April and June, he’ll be capped on a short-term deal. Opportunistic clubs may look to buy low on a one-year deal, and we’ve seen pitchers in similar situations command even modest two year pacts.
Two years would be a surprise, given Gonsolin’s recent injury track record and just 36 MLB innings over the past two seasons, but it’s not entirely implausible. He could opt to increase his earning potential by waiting until he’s healthy to re-sign, but he should have interest from clubs this offseason and will be viewed as someone who could be a midseason reinforcement to a club’s pitching staff and/or a trade chip for a rebuilding club.