Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Talks Tentative Postseason Plan with Tony Gonsolin

The biggest question surrounding the Dodgers right now has to be Tony Gonsolin.

Just a few weeks ago, Gonsolin was firmly in the race for the NL Cy Young Award. But, as many expected, his career-high 128.1 innings caught up to him, and he was on the IL for six weeks.

Gonsolin finally returned on Monday, but threw just two innings in what was expected to be a brief start.

Quality stuff from Tony Gonsolin in his first inning back — he retired the side in order, gets a K on a splitter, and his four-seamer was just a hair off his 93 mph average.

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) October 4, 2022

He gave up three hits and an earned run, but did have three strikeouts and limited the damage in a busy second inning. Notably, he did go back to the bullpen following his outing to continue to build up his pitch count.

Prior to the start, Dave Roberts gave an update on how he would potentially be used in the postseason.

“I think that where we’re at as far as the timeline for Tony, the two options are (game) three or (game) four,” Roberts said. “If he’s healthy, he’ll start a game.”

That’s great news for the Dodgers, as it was unclear whether they would have a clear fourth starter outside of Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Anderson.

If Gonsolin is able to make a start (and it sounds like he will), it’ll still be interesting to see exactly how long he goes. If he’s dealing, he may get to five innings. But it’s probably more likely he goes three or four and then passes it onto the bullpen. That’s where someone like Andrew Heaney and Dustin May will probably come into play, as they can piggyback Gonsolin’s start with some length of their own.

Obviously, you want your All-Star pitcher at full strength come postseason time. But at this point, the Dodgers will take what they can get.

NEXT: Roberts High on Trayce Thompson Regardless of September Slide