PHOENIX — Tony Gonsolin was a revelation in the Dodgers’ starting rotation this season.
But a forearm injury has his postseason role in an evolving state.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Gonsolin’s bullpen session Wednesday was “encouraging” and he was “hopeful” Gonsolin will recover from his forearm injury in time to be a part of the Dodgers’ postseason pitching plans “in some capacity.”
But Roberts painted a picture where Gonsolin does not necessarily return to a role as a starter in the postseason.
“Kind of the theme of our pitching staff as we look out is having the sum be better than the individual parts in the sense of getting 27 outs in games in a postseason,” Roberts said. “I don’t know how it will look like for Tony as far as potential buildup or workload.
“My messaging to Tony was let’s come out with a net positive each day. If we can continue to do that once we get closer we’ll know what we have. For me to speculate what it looks like now is just not fair.”
It would be premature at this point to say Gonsolin will pitch out of the bullpen in October, Roberts said – while pointing out that Gonsolin does have some experience in that role. Gonsolin made seven postseason appearances in 2020 and 2021, four of them in relief.
“Everything is on the table – as it should be. But it’s all contingent on how he’s feeling,” Roberts said.
“It’s about winning a baseball game, winning a series, preventing runs, scoring runs. So however we can do that – whether it’s a little bit more creative or not normal, I don’t think we’re concerned about it. Nor are our players.”
Gonsolin (an All-Star for the first time in his career this season) had already thrown a career-high 128-1/3 innings when he was scratched from his scheduled start on Aug. 29 and went on the injured list with a forearm strain.
PEN DAY
Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, David Price and Gonsolin each threw bullpen sessions at Chase Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Treinen and Graterol could be close to returning.
“For me, it looked normal,” Roberts said of Treinen. “He wasn’t guarding. It was clean. The stuff was good. So I expect him to face hitters in the coming days.”
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Right-hander Yency Almonte threw 25 pitches to infielder Gavin Lux in a live batting practice session. Lux could return this weekend in San Francisco.
Almonte said his elbow has not bothered him since getting a platelet-rich plasma injection shortly after going on the injured list in early August. He will throw another live BP session then it will be decided if he is ready to return or needs to go on a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment.
ALSO
Right-hander Michael Grove was added to the roster for Wednesday’s start. Andre Jackson was returned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
UP NEXT
The Dodgers are off Thursday.
Dodgers (RHP Dustin May, 1-2, 4.29 ERA) at Giants (RHP Logan Webb, 13-8, 2.88), Friday, 7:15 p.m., Apple TV+, 570 AM