The Royals’ rotation is getting a fresh face at just the right time, and Tony Gonsolin is finally in position to take the mound in Kansas City.
On Tuesday, ahead of the series opener against the Chicago White Sox, the Royals announced that the right-hander has come off his rehab assignment and been reinstated from the injured list. Kansas City added Gonsolin on a major league contract in mid-August, but he has yet to appear for the club because he spent the season battling injury.
Gonsolin, now 32, spent his first six big league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers before landing with the Royals. His best work came in 2022, when he went 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP across 130 1/3 innings, numbers that helped him earn his first All-Star nod.
The road since then has been rougher. He put up a 4.98 ERA over 103 innings in 2023, then missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
He entered 2025 hoping to get back to the form he showed in 2022, but that comeback was derailed quickly when he felt discomfort in his right elbow - the same elbow that had already undergone surgery. The Dodgers then placed him on the 15-day injured list.
The setbacks kept piling up. In August 2025, Gonsolin had an internal brace procedure and flexor repair, and he managed only 36 innings that season.
Now he’s back in a Royals uniform after making four starts with Triple-A Omaha. Kansas City has officially activated him, and his first start for the club is next on the docket.
To clear room, the Royals optioned right-handed pitcher Spence Bivens to the Arizona Complex League, since all affiliate seasons have ended.
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