2 Key Dodgers Pitchers Expected to Start Rehab Assignments Soon
The Los Angeles Dodgers should get two pitching reinforcements in the coming weeks.
Right-handed pitchers Tony Gonsolin and Evan Phillips are expected to start rehab assignments by the end of this week, as they get closer to making their 2025 debuts for the Dodgers.
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Gonsolin, 30, hasn’t pitched since 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2024 season. Gonsolin made three rehab starts at the end of last year, but didn’t end up getting activated for the postseason.
This spring, Gonsolin entered camp in a competition for the No. 5 starter spot. However, a minor back injury while lifting weights forced him to start the season on the injured list, paving the way for Dustin May to win the job.
“I was squatting. I wasn’t even going heavy,” Gonsolin said of how he suffered the injury. “I think it was probably slightly out of place before, and then under load, it just kind of shifted a little bit.
“It wasn’t too painful, but it was altering my throw, and we wanted to take a break, let it actually heal to keep the throw good
Gonsolin admitted to being extremely frustrated after being so close to finally returning to big league action before the setback.
“I was in a really good spot,” Gonsolin said. “I felt like my body was feeling great. Throw felt really good. It felt really clean. Executing pitches. And then to have something like that, non-baseball-related, really sucked, honestly. … I don’t really have any other words for it.”
Gonsolin will presumably make a couple rehab starts before returning to the Dodgers, potentially sometime in mid or late April.
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As for Phillips, he got a late start to the spring after dealing with a shoulder injury last postseason that kept him off the World Series roster.
Phillips began ramping up later in the spring, but is now ready to go on rehab assignment, and potentially return to the Dodgers sooner rather than later.
Phillips had a 3.62 ERA across 61 appearances for L.A. last year. He had a 2.05 ERA across 62 appearances in 2023, and a 1.14 ERA across 64 appearances in 2022.
Who are the highest paid MLB managers? One new contract for 2025 breaks previous record
Dave Roberts’ new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed in March, didn’t merely represent a sizable raise compared to his previous salary.
It made him the highest-paid manager in baseball history.
Roberts will earn $32.4 million over the next four years under the terms of the extension. His $8.1 million average annual value edges him ahead of Craig Counsell’s AAV on his five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.
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The Dodgers’ 11th-year manager secured his legacy after winning his second World Series in four years, as the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in a five-game series last October. Roberts’ .627 regular season winning percentage is not only the highestamong active managers, it’s also the best in American or National League history.
Counsell is number 2 on the list, and Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo — two years removed from a National League pennant-winning season — is third with an average annual value of $5.0 million.
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone also signed a contract extension prior to the 2025 season, and he figures to crack the top three in 2026. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Boone’s new deal pays $4.5 million this year, matching Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers at No. 4.
However, Boone’s extension added two years at $5M and $5.5M, respectively, paying him $15M over the next three seasons, per the Post.
Dodgers fans wait for hours ahead of Shohei Ohtani MVP bobblehead giveaway
The Shohei Ohtani MVP bobblehead is the first giveaway of the season at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers faithful lined up for hours in Chavez Ravine Wednesday morning to ensure they get one of the exclusive Shohei Ohtani MVP bobbleheads, the first Dodger Stadium giveaway of the 2025 season.
Initially reserved for the first 40,000 fans at Wednesday afternoon’s game, the Dodgers later said on X that all fans in attendance will receive the Ohtani MVP bobblehead.
Fans, many wearing Ohtani’s now iconic No. 17 jersey, were encouraged to arrive early prior to the gates opening at 3:38 p.m. First pitch is two hours later at 5:38.
“I’m here to celebrate Ohtani’s bobblehead as a Dodger,” said Jose Ramirez while standing in line.
“I want three,” said Dennis Suang. ” Ohtani is my idol because he is very strong.”
“I’ll wait five hours in line to get a bobblehead from Shohei Ohtani,” said Francisco Velazquez. “He’s the unicorn of baseball.”
If you missed this one, don’t worry. The Dodgers will continue giving away bobbleheads throughout the season including a Freddie Freeman model next week on Friday, April 11.
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Ohtani will reappear in bobblehead form four times this season. On May 15 and Aug. 27, a bobblehead celebrating Ohtani’s 50/50 achievement — 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season — will be given away. Another Ohtani bobblehead giveaway is scheduled for Sept. 10.
Additionally, “on behalf of Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) is dedicating the night’s 50/50 raffle proceeds to families who are rebuilding after the Eaton and Palisades fires,” the team wrote in a press release.
Wednesday night’s game is the third and final match in a three game home series with the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers are currently 7-0 and first in NL West after sweeping both Cubs, Tigers and potentially the Braves.
