Dodgers News: Tony Gonsolin Set to Miss More Time Than Initially Expected With Ankle Injury

The bad news keeps coming for the Cat Man.

Dodgers RHP Tony Gonsolin is going to miss the beginning of the season due to a fluke ankle injury he suffered during a spring training drill in early March. Gonsolin turned his ankle in what appeared to be a harmless manner, however, now three weeks later, Gonsolin is still not progressing as quickly as the team would have hoped.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke to the media, and said Gonsolin threw 20-25 pitches. However, he also said he was "still a ways away" from making a return.

"Tony threw a bullpen today. (Pitching coach) Mark Prior said it went really well, he felt good. My assumption is the next few days he'll throw another one and keep progressing from there. ... The timeline that we're thinking about is end of April for him to be back."

Dave Roberts updates the media on what to expect from the @Dodgers these last two #DodgersST games. pic.twitter.com/bbcFvzgfGN

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 28, 2023

This is a huge bummer for Gonsolin, who was hoping to have a much healthier 2023 campaign after fizzling out towards the end of last season. But instead, he's getting his 2023 season off on the wrong foot (pun kind of intended).

Fortunately, if he does return by the end of April, which is the timeline Roberts laid out, he'll only miss about four starts. Hopefully, by giving up those four starts earlier in the year, he's able to remain healthy for the rest of it, and be a key contributor in a potential postseason run.

The Dodgers signed Gonsolin to a two-year deal to avoid arbitration this offseason. I'm sure both sides would have liked this season to start a little differently.