Despite battling various injuries throughout his 14-year year career, Adrian Gonzalez has never been placed on the disabled list. During his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the veteran first baseman has battled elbow, back and neck trouble.
Gonzalez reported to Spring Training this year suffering from inflammation in his right elbow. Described as “tennis elbow,” it prevented Gonzalez from swinging a bat for multiple weeks. He slowly increased the level of activity and made a full return.
However, the veteran first baseman has yet to produce at the expected level. He admitted, in retrospect, beginning the season on the disabled list would have been a sound decision, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“I should have gone on the DL to start the season from this,” Gonzalez said Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before a 4-1 Dodgers loss to the San Francisco Giants in 11 innings.
Although Gonzalez has avoided the DL throughout his career, it’s not something he’s completely opposed to:
“I would consider it, 100%,” Gonzalez said. “I’m never against it. It’s not like they’re telling me ‘We want to put you on the DL,’ and I’m like ‘No, no, no.’ That’s not the case. I’ve played through injuries my whole life. It’s not something new to me. I’ve always just played through whatever I’ve got, and found a way to deal with it.”
On Wednesday, Gonzalez revealed he’s suffering from a bulging disc, an injury he’s deal with in years past. He received an epidural last season to treat the back pain, and doesn’t believe this year’s issue is as serious.
If Gonzalez were to end up on the disabled list, now would seemingly be the time. By making that roster move, the Dodgers could activate Joc Pederson on Friday while also keeping Cody Bellinger with the team.
Gonzalez is batting .255/.327/.309 with five doubles and 11 RBI in 29 games this season.
