The projected ace of Auburn’s weekend rotation is expected to miss more time away from the mound.
[autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], Auburn’s only returning piece from last season’s rotation, has dealt with shoulder discomfort since the preseason, which has limited him to making just one start this season. He tossed five innings in Auburn’s 6-1 series-sealing win over Indiana on Feb. 18 at Plainsman Park, where he allowed two hits and struck out a batter.
He has not taken the mound since.
Head coach Butch Thompson had hoped that Gonzalez would be healthy enough to return to the rotation for the Arkansas series, but last week’s practices suggested that he needs more time to get back to 100% throwing strength.
“We just asked the best doctor in the world to sit down with him face-to-face. So we’re probably going to take a few more weeks, maybe up to six weeks,” Thompson said Wednesday. “(Gonzalez) still feels something when he cranks it up to full speed. He still feels it a little bit.”
He was scratched from his scheduled start on Feb. 25 against USC due to shoulder tightness and had hoped to make a return last weekend against Arkansas. However, the TBA slot that was open for Gonzalez’s potential return was filled by [autotag]Konnor Copeland[/autotag] in Auburn’s 5-0 loss to the Razorbacks last Sunday.
This weekend, Auburn is expected to throw [autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] on Thursday, and [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] on Saturday in their home series with Georgia, with Saturday’s slot up for grabs. [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag], Konnor Copeland, and [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag] have the potential to fill game two’s need, as each of them has started in at least one weekend game this season.
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