By MATT PIKE
The Kansas City Royals have added to their bullpen, and potentially their starting rotation, signing right-handed pitcher Tony Gonsolin to a Major League contract.
The contract also comes with a club option for 2027. Gonsolin has been placed on the 15-day Injured List as he continues to recover from right elbow surgery which he underwent last year. To make room on the roster, Eli Morgan has been designated for assignment. Gonsolin, a former All Star and World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, boasts an impressive career record of 37-13 with a 3.34 ERA in 86 appearances, 78 of those starts. Since 2019, Gonsolin's win percentage .740 is the highest by any pitcher in the Majors, while his 53 home runs allowed during that same stretch are tied with Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen for the 10th fewest in Major League Baseball among pitchers who have made at least 75 starts in that span.
Gonsolin was an All-Star in 2022 with the Dodgers when he went 16-1 in 24 starts with a 2.14 ERA, which was the second lowest mark behind only Justin Verlander, while he finished tied for third in the National League in wins that season. He won a World Series title in 2020 and made his Major League debut in 2019, all with the Dodgers. He missed the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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