AS SHOHEI OHTANI REHABS, FORMER ALL-STAR HURLER IS 'ITCHING TO PITCH' FOR DODGERS
With spring training underway and the Los Angeles Dodgers sorting out their version of a "Murderer's Row" level of starting pitching, president Andrew Friedman confirmed on Friday the staff would begin the 2025 campaign with a five-man rotation, according to MLB.com's Sonja Chen.
This leaves a single spot at the back end of the starting five, and three names — Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Bobby Miller (all returning from injuries and in various stages of final rehabbing) — will ultimately compete for the job.
As Shohei Ohtani pushes toward a return later this summer, Friedman told the Orange County Register he likes where his pitching depth is to begin the season.
“The schedule sets up well through April for us to manage it without doing that,” Friedman said, referring to a six-man stable of rotating starters.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds. “It’s gonna be interesting. They are fighting (for a spot),” Roberts told the OC Register.
According to Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation, 2022 breakout star Tony Gonsolin is "itching to pitch" again for L.A.
Gonsolin had a marvelous 2022 All-Star campaign where he went 16-1, had a paltry 0.87 WHIP and an impressive 2.14 ERA. After a struggle the following year, Gonsolin was shut down in August 2023 and had Tommy John Surgery shortly thereafter.
He missed all of 2024 but told McKain last November he was "100% ready to go" as the offseason was underway. With that said, who may get that first real crack at filling the fifth-starter role appears to be steadily listing toward the Gonsolin side.
When it comes to live-game situations, where any of the three stand is difficult to gauge, and Roberts admits he's unsure who will step forward as the season begins, and who will play a role in relief.
There's a possibility that both Gonsolin and May could begin the year on the injured list, but Roberts has faith they'll answer the bell.
"I do think that right now, at this point, they’re both building up. They’re both viewing themselves, [and] we’re [also] viewing them as starters. We’ll see how the rest of the spring plays out, which obviously is a long ways away," Roberts said.
Ohtani's subsequent return date is undecided, but Roberts hopes for “some time in May.” The Dodgers anticipate Ohtani will throw his first spring bullpen session soon.
That leaves a door open for Gonsolin, and with research showing around 80% of pitchers tend to regain pre-injury form, it's a bit scary (or perhaps sickening if you're in the NL) to imagine how good the Dodgers could be with a resurgent Gonsolin.
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