The Los Angeles Dodgers completed their thrilling comeback victory Sunday afternoon without the services of Adrian Gonzalez. He was removed after playing six innings against the Cincinnati Reds.
Gonzalez went hitless in three at-bats before the early exit. “He came to me in the middle of the game and said his back locked up on him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained postgame.
“He took a couple awkward swings, so I wanted to get him out of there and get him in the training room. We’ll keep an eye on him. Joc’s obviously in the equation if something does happen.”
Gonzalez is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday. “I have an L4 and L5 vertebrae herniated disc,” he said. “I’ll get an MRI and see what happens.”
In addition to Joc Pederson, Brett Eibner would presumably also be considered to fill the spot on the active roster. Eibner was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, but was in the Dodgers clubhouse on Sunday as a safety net of sorts.
Gonzalez missed time earlier this season due to elbow inflammation and a chronic bulging disc in his back. It marked the first time in Gonzalez’s career he was put on the disabled list. He appeared in 1,833 games played over 14 seasons prior to that point.
Following an off-day, the Dodgers begin a road trip on Tuesday against the reigning American League champion Cleveland Indians. That’s followed by a three-game set with the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
