Kansas City Royals Reveal Plan for Tony Gonsolin

The Kansas City Royals decided to take a chance on right-hander Tony Gonsolin earlier this week, signing him to a contract for the remainder of this season along with a club option for 2027.

It is essentially a risk-free move that could have a big impact on Kansas City's rotation next year. The rotation definitely needs help moving forward with multiple starters this year undergoing major arm injuries and Gonsolin could potentially provide it.

He was placed on the 15-day injured list immediately after signing, signaling he was not yet ready to contribute immediately.

The Royals revealed the plan for Gonsolin's progression toward coming off the injured list this weekend.

"New Royals pitcher Tony Gonsolin threw a three-inning, 45-pitch live BP in Arizona today. The club hopes to send him on a rehab assignment soon if things continue to progress. Gonsolin hasn't pitched this season due to recovering from right elbow surgery," reported Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star.

With Gonsolin already able to toss multiple innings, that is definitely an encouraging sign given how unknown his rehab progress was when the deal was signed. He underwent an internal brace procedure due to right elbow discomfort last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which limited him to just seven starts.

It appears that issue is behind him and he can now focus on regaining velocity and shaking off the rust to potentially make an impact for Kansas City as soon as this year. He is running out of time though.

Gonsolin had spent his entire professional career with the Dodgers since 2016, making this his first stop with a new organization. He debuted back in 2019 at 25 years old and was a reliable arm for the first four years of his career, routinely helping Los Angeles go on deep postseason runs.

His best season came in 2022 when he earned his first and only All-Star selection and went 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA across 24 starts.

Multiple right elbow injuries derailed his career after that, but he always seemed to outperform his expected numbers and still figures to be a reliable backend arm at his best. That is exactly what the Royals are hoping for.

Kansas City is the right place for Gonsolin to revitalize his career given where the organization is right now, and he clearly wants that opportunity. With Kansas City over 20 games under the .500 mark, it makes sense to build for the future.