Another day and another drama in the Dodgers camp! While the Los Angeles Dodgers have the strongest lineup of pitching staffs, a problem still remains—who fills the fifth starter position in the rotation? Tony Gonsolin seems to be a good choice; however, he feels unnoticed by the Dodgers. Is it true? Well, maybe to some extent! Given that the right-hander made an impressive record in the Cactus League against the Chicago Cubs, where he gave only one hit, struck out two batters, and even threw 11 strikes out of 18 pitches, he did not pitch in 2024 when playing for the Dodgers.

Also, his fastballs are not as expected, which makes it difficult for him to return to All-Star form, isn’t it? Take a look at what makes the Dodgers’ pitching lineup scary—Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. What more does a team need? The Dodgers need a fifth starter in their rotation, and while Tony Gonsolin looks like a good choice, he hasn’t pitched since 2023 in the major league games, when he went 8-5 with a 4.98 ERA, but was out due to the Tommy John surgery.

Now, after coming back to the Cactus League, he said, “Overall, I felt pretty good. I thought the fastball execution could be a little bit better but thought I threw a couple of good splitters, couple good sliders, and couple good curveballs. Overall, it was good results.” Tony Gonsolin seemed happy with the way he has been throwing splitters, sliders, and curveballs, which gives him a good chance to make it to the postseason roster for the Dodgers. However, Dave Roberts feels it is too early to bring him back to the mound, given his velocity has been just between 91 and 92 mph, which needs to increase. 

Dodgers’ hopes shaded by multiple injuries    

It’s not just Tony Gonsolin, who made his way back after suffering an injury, which kept him out of the major leagues since 2023. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers have some more problems in hand, as their 12 pitchers got injured last season, which gives rise to an unpredictable situation. But a recent incident shook the fans when the Dodgers’ pitcher Bobby Miller was hit on his head by a 105.5 mph fastball during the game against the Chicago Cubs. But that’s not all!

With the pitcher falling on the ground and the ball getting into the left field, everyone was left in awe of what had happened until Bobby Miller rose, although hurt, displaying a major sense of resilience and grit on the field. However, Dave Roberts has cleared the air, mentioning that other than a headache, nothing looks serious, and Miller would soon make his way back onto the mound with his dedication and commitment. We all hope the same, don’t we?

So, amid the injury scares hovering over the Dodgers camp, who do you think can be the perfect fifth starter on the roster? Let us know by commenting below.