Gonsolin pitches five scoreless innings in rehab outing

KANSAS CITY – Tony Gonsolin tossed five scoreless innings in his third rehab outing for Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday night, another step in what the Royals hope is a path back to the big leagues by the end of the year.

Gonsolin worked around three hits and a walk and struck out two, needing 64 pitches (42 strikes) in Omaha’s win. His next start is scheduled for Sunday with Triple-A, and then the Royals will evaluate whether he’ll continue his rehab or potentially slot in Kansas City’s rotation with two weeks left of the season.

“We’ll see how that one goes,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Obviously, Monday will be a day off across the board for them, and we have that day off as well [in Houston]. We’ll be able to see what happens at that point.”

The Royals signed Gonsolin in August to a one-year deal with a club option for 2027, knowing he was coming back from right internal brace surgery (a form of Tommy John repair). The thought was he could add needed depth if he returned to form, when he was an All-Star with a 2.14 ERA in 2022 with the Dodgers. He owns a career 3.34 ERA in 411 2/3 innings.

The 32-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season. In ‘25, he made just seven starts before undergoing a brace procedure on his elbow.

The Royals hold a $2.5 million club option on the right-hander for 2027, which seems likely to be picked up if he stays healthy through the end of the year.

“With all the injuries we’ve had to starting pitching this year, and you’re looking ahead to next year, we need starters,” Quatraro said, “We need guys that can eat innings and be effective. Certainly a guy of his caliber that’s been an All-Star in the past, that’s recovered and has said he felt really good through this recovery compared to the last one – that’s exciting.”

Gonsolin doesn’t have to pitch in the big leagues this year; he could just finish out the season on his rehab assignment. But if the Royals do bring him up, they could slot him in the rotation as a sixth starter in the final two weeks or potentially piggyback him with another starter.

Garcia, McArthur, Seabold rehab stints

The Royals set plans for three other players to begin their rehab stints, with right-hander James McArthur (right elbow surgery) beginning his Wednesday with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Third baseman Maikel Garcia (left hamstring strain) and right-hander Connor Seabold (right lat strain) are scheduled to begin rehab assignments Thursday with Triple-A Omaha.

McArthur has not pitched in an affiliated game since Sept. 16, 2024, when he was a reliever with the Royals. It’s been a long road of recovery since then, with multiple surgeries on his right elbow that first began with stabilizing an olecranon fracture. Several setbacks followed over the past year-plus, and he had another surgery in May. But he’s slowly been ramping back up at the team’s complex in Arizona and is scheduled to pitch one inning or 20 pitches with the Naturals on Wednesday.

“What he’s been through and how long it’s been for him to get back on the mound competitively, the attitude he’s kept, the work ethic, the drive – he’s incredible,” Quatraro said. “I’m really happy for him that he’s going to get back out there. I hope it all goes really well. We know what he can mean to this team at some point, and hopefully we can get that back.”

Garcia has been sidelined since Aug. 21 with a left hamstring strain, which occurred just three days after he was reinstated from the IL after his left hand muscle strain injury. The return timeline for the hamstring injury was originally three to six weeks, and Garcia has recovered quicker than the club expected.

The plan is to have him play five innings on Thursday, DH on Friday and then have Saturday off. The Royals won’t rush him back but would love to have him finish the season healthy, and if that comes in the big leagues, even better.

“Just to be healthy going into the offseason would be huge,” Quatraro said.