One night after getting removed in the sixth inning due to lower back stiffness, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was not in Tuesday’s lineup to face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second of the four-game Freeway Series.
Gonzalez, did, however, report some improvement. “We exchanged some text messages and he said he feels better than he did [Monday] night,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said prior to Tuesday’s game. The five-time All-Star was available to pinch hit, but he was not called on.
Although the same was said of Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke, with the opposite ultimately proving true, Roberts is optimistic Gonzalez will not land on the disabled list.
“At this point, and he’s completely against going on the DL, we’re going to give it a couple of days and see where he’s at,” Roberts said.
Prior to Tuesday, Gonzalez was the lone Dodger player to appear in every game this season, starting in all but one. Given his importance to the Dodgers, Roberts conceded there’s natural concern over the injury.
“When you talk about the core or back of someone who’s been a stalwart in your lineup, it’s tough to replace,” the rookie manager said. “We do have our depth, but Adrian is certainly a hard guy to replace.”
Gonzalez is batting .282/.362/.408 with six doubles, four home runs and 20 RBIs over 39 games. He went hitless and had eight strikeouts to four walks over 24 plate appearances during the Dodgers’ recent nine-game homestand.
With the Freeway Series shifting to Angel Stadium for games on Wednesday and Thursday, it’s plausible Gonzalez will first return to action as a designated hitter. In a stretch that began Friday, May 6, the Dodgers are playing 20 consecutive days. Their next off-day isn’t until Thursday, May 26.
Gonzalez said after Tuesday’s game he was hopeful to play on Thursday or Friday. “If it was my call I would go out and play through it,” he added. “They’re saying it’s early in the year, so no need to push it.”
