Less than two weeks after the Royals signed Tony Gonsolin to a Major League contract knowing that he was coming back from injury, the All-Star pitcher took his first step back toward the Major Leagues by beginning a rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Omaha.
Gonsolin, who is recovering from right elbow surgery that he underwent a year ago while with the Dodgers, tossed three hitless innings with one walk and three strikeouts, needing 40 pitches (23 strikes) to navigate the Iowa Cubs’ lineup.
Of Gonsolin’s 40 pitches, 50% of them were fastballs, which averaged 92 mph. He also mixed in his slider, curveball and splitter.
The 32-year-old Gonsolin is 37-13 with a 3.34 ERA in 86 career appearances (78 starts) across six seasons with the Dodgers from 2019-23 and 2025 after missing all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The plan is for him to continue to build up on a rehab assignment, but the Royals are hopeful that he can pitch in the big leagues this year, perhaps by mid-to-late September before the regular season ends. They signed him mainly as depth for next year, as he has a $2.5 million club option that can get into the $7 million range with performance bonuses. His availability could come in the rotation or in the bullpen.