For the first time in his 14-year career, Adrian Gonzalez was put on the disabled list. At the point of making that decision, both Gonzalez and the Los Angeles Dodgers said the DL stint would be longer than the minimum 10 days.
Gonzalez pointed to the importance of getting his body fully healthy regardless of the time of length it took. He’d been limited by elbow/forearm soreness and a chronic bulging disc. Soon after, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the veteran first baseman was on a “slow program.”
Roberts left open the possibility of accelerating Gonzalez’s timeline, if circumstances deemed it necessary. That night, Andrew Toles suffered an ACL injury, and Roberts said Gonzalez was put on more of a fast track.
According to David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports Radio, Gonzalez is set to join High-A Rancho Cucamonga for a rehab assignment on Tuesday:
Adrian Gonzalez will play 7 innings at 1B for @RCQuakes tomorrow. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) May 16, 2017
Logan Forsythe is also playing for the Quakes on Tuesday night. He’s penciled to serve as the designated hitter. The rehab assignment marks the second for Forsythe, who had his recovery from a fractured toe reset due to hamstring tightness.
The game action will be the first for Gonzalez since he was put on the DL on May 5. On the season, he’s batting .255/.327/.309 through 29 games. Gonzalez doesn’t have any home runs and his only extra-base hits are five doubles.
Gonzalez’s .635 on-base plus slugging percentage is on pace to be the lowest mark of his career. He’s expected to play in a minimum of two games with the Quakes.
Roberts previously mentioned he anticipates Forsythe returning to the team at some point during the 10-game homestand that begins Thursday.
