Dodgers News: Tony Gonsolin Has Dave Roberts a Little Befuddled

No one knows why Tony Gonsolin is pitching poorly.

During the 2023 season, Tony Gonsolin’s performance has been disappointing, and no one knows what is wrong with him.

Last year, Gonsolin was a reliable starter until late August when he had a forearm strain, and his superior performance made him an All-Star for the first time during his professional career. The Dodgers expected a similar performance in 2023.

During early spring training, Gonsolin sprained his ankle, and it didn’t heal quickly. He began the 2023 season on April 26th. This season he has 5 wins and 4 losses with a 4.25 ERA. As the season proceeds, Gonsolin performs worse. Dave Roberts can’t explain why Gonsolin isn’t performing up to expectations.

“There’s just that next gear that he can tap into,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if it’s a mindset thing, I don’t know if it’s a fatigue thing. I don’t know if it’s an execution thing and it’s something that we’re obviously mindful of and I think it’s closer than say the last three or four outings have been.”

Via The Athletic

Gonsolin doesn’t understand it either. “(The) results have sucked,” Gonsolin said. “They’ve been what they are. But I’m just trying to stay with the process.”

Gonsolin’s split-finger isn’t breaking downward, so he has allowed 11 home runs in 82.2 innings. He struck out 68 while 33 walks. When he gets into trouble, Gonsolin has struggled in stranding base runners, an area he excelled in last season.

Since Gonsolin appears to be injury-prone and has had a poor 2023 performance, many wouldn’t mind if the Dodgers trade him, but his trade value is at the lowest. Andrew Friedman would like to wait until Gonsolin pitches better before he trades him.