Gio Gonzalez Placed on the 15-Day Disabled List

May 11, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Washington Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty (54, right) talks to starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (47) during the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. The Athletics defeated the Nationals 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

After a string of poor performances, Gio Gonzalez has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation:

Gonzalez was apparently scheduled to undergo precautionary tests on his arm on Sunday, but it appears as if the team just skipped those tests and placed him on the DL anyway:

This is the first time in Gio’s career that he has been placed on the DL. To replace him on the 25-man roster, the Washington Nationals brought up Ryan Mattheus from Syracuse.

Gio had a 2.91 ERA in 2014 prior to his last two clunkers. During those two starts, he combined to allow 12 runs in seven innings (May 11 against the Oakland Athletics and May 17 against the New York Mets). This ballooned his ERA from 2.91 to 4.62.

Taylor Jordan could very well replace Gio in the rotation, but Byron Kerr of MASN Sports wants to throw another name into the discussion. Taylor Hill, a prospect pitching in Syracuse right now, is currently 5-1 with a 1.99 ERA in eight starts over 49 2/3 innings. He has 41 strikeouts and seven walks. Plus, right-handed batters have managed just three earned runs off him in 27 1/3 innings.

I say give the kid a shot.

For now, Gio will look to rest up on the DL and come back at full force in early June. Hopefully the resting period will give him time to both get better and fix problems with his arm angle and release point—two things that were glaring problems in his past two starts.