PHOENIX — Tony Gonsolin’s momentary lapse of cat-like grace has put the beginning of his season in jeopardy.
Gonsolin sprained his left ankle in a rather innocuous fashion Monday as the right-hander was walking off the field following a simple fielding drill. The injury was severe enough that he received medical attention and will miss at least one spring start. While the Dodgers are confident the 28-year-old All-Star avoided a major injury, the timing of Gonsolin’s ankle issue could be enough to prevent him from being available for Opening Day.
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Initial testing, including an X-ray, has ruled out a fracture. Whether there is further imaging will depend on how Gonsolin’s ankle progresses in the coming days, manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday. There is still some swelling, and each day Gonsolin is removed from being able to throw will push back the timeline for his return.
“It’s not something we feel really good about right now,” Roberts said.
Rolling an ankle after completing a pitcher fielding drill certainly is the latest in a line of Gonsolin injuries. There was also a nagging shoulder issue that derailed his 2021 season and forearm discomfort that cut short his breakout campaign (a 2.14 ERA in a career-most 24 starts).
Miguel Vargas, swinging pic.twitter.com/80r9xed5N4
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 8, 2023
The ankle issue is also the least concerning when it comes to the long term. But it could change some of the calculus of the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster and prompt the team to quickly call upon a group of young starters the organization has touted all winter.
Michael Grove tossed three brisk and efficient innings in Gonsolin’s stead in Cactus League play on Wednesday, showing off a retooled slider and expressing relief that after years of concern about his mechanics, he can finally talk about pitching.
“Instead of talking about, what’s my arm slot or what’s my lower half doing, I get to talk about how to pitch to this hitter, how to set guys up, pay attention to swings,” Grove said. “I’m able to have these more professional conversations instead of just worrying about making sure everything’s right going down the mound.”
Grove, 26, appears ready for a jet-setting year of bouncing back and forth between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City as a swingman type after breaking through for his major-league debut last May.
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“Mentally, it was exhausting, honestly,” Grove said of acclimating to that usage last summer. “But it kind of teaches you just to be ready, and to understand what you need on any given day because you might get that call.”
It’s easy to envision a similar role for Ryan Pepiot, who appears to have corrected some of the command issues that plagued the former top-100 prospect in his first go-around in the big leagues. Andre Jackson struggled at times with throwing strikes last year but has remained among the Dodgers’ options.
“Obviously there’s a reason people talk about depth, to try to prepare for things that are unforeseen,” Roberts said. “I don’t want to put (Gonsolin) to bed quite yet, but yeah, to have Michael and Ryan ready and having got their feet wet last year, certainly gives you a little bit more peace of mind.”
Others are auditioning for opportunities, as top-100 prospects Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller could push for starts before the summer is over. Stone has significantly raised his profile in the eyes of the big-league staff, Roberts said.
“He sort of just fits in, and then when he takes the mound with work, it’s a focus that a lot of young players, pitchers don’t have that appreciation for what that means,” Roberts said of Stone, who posted a 1.48 ERA across three different levels of the minors last year.
“There’s an elite focus there. Then you layer on the stuff, it’s plus command. It’s a plus fastball, and it’s a plus-plus changeup and a pretty good slider. All those ingredients, a lot to like.”
Gonsolin’s potential absence shouldn’t be long enough to be anything more than a footnote in his season. But it would provide a glimpse of what the organization has in reserve if needed.
Miguel Vargas had to wait so long, he was hacking as soon as he got the green light.
Vargas, unable to swing all camp as he deals with a hairline fracture on his right pinkie finger, needed just one pitch from Dodgers reliever Yency Almonte in a live batting practice session on Wednesday to unfurl a vicious cut.
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For the 23-year-old whose identity has long stemmed more from what he could do in the batter’s box than where he played in the field, it’s been an awkward spring. He’s had to acclimate himself to second base, lost a double-play partner in Gavin Lux and has not been permitted to get the bat off his shoulder in 12 Cactus League plate appearances.
Despite not swinging, he still got one base four times. Doesn’t mean he liked it.
“I know he’s gotten through the sort of embarrassment to not swing the bat,” Roberts said.
Vargas struggled to hide his smile as he prepared to face Almonte and Daniel Hudson on Wednesday.
“Back to normal,” he said.
Vargas isn’t expected to have any further restrictions over the remainder of camp, which make this a potential launching pad for what should be some everyday run for the prospect.
Other quick hits from around Dodgers camp:
• Lux underwent surgery Tuesday to repair his season-ending torn ACL. While Roberts said the procedure “went well,” he added the extent of the damage to Lux’s right knee included a tear of the LCL, rather than just the sprain that was originally anticipated. It’s not expected to alter his timeline for recovery.
• Roberts all but confirmed that Jason Heyward will make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, as expected. “It’s not surprising when you’re talking about the character,” Roberts said. “And also, from the day we signed him, he committed to working with our hitting guys from that point on, diligently. Flying out to Arizona. Flying out to Los Angeles. Making sure things were cleaned up. So he’s coming to spring training with this new, revamped swing that, it looks like he’s done it for a long time. So with that, doesn’t surprise me at all.”
• Almonte hasn’t appeared in a Cactus League game but faced hitters Wednesday for the second time and still is on track to be ready for Opening Day despite his slower progress, Roberts said.
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• With Will Smith and Austin Barnes each away from the club for the World Baseball Classic, the Dodgers are going to get a look at their catching depth. That includes Diego Cartaya, the mega-prospect in his first big-league camp. It could also include Dalton Rushing, the club’s first selection in last year’s draft who isn’t in big-league camp but could get some Cactus League action. “(I) would love to put eyes on him,” Roberts said.
(Photo of Gonsolin from March 3: Rick Scuteri / USA Today)
