CLEVELAND _ After experiencing jolts of pain in his lower back over the weekend, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was put on the 10-day disabled list for the second time this season.
Gonzalez avoided the DL for the first 13 years of his big league career. At 35, he is dealing with a degenerative disk, according to an MRI exam Monday, manager Dave Roberts said. The team's medical staff told Roberts it does not view surgery as necessary, which brought the manager some relief.
Gonzalez did not accompany the team to Progressive Field, where the Dodgers on Tuesday opened a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians. He will receive a second opinion this week. Roberts said the team will consider administering a pain-killing epidural, which aided the herniated disk in 2016.
The Dodgers intend to afford Gonzalez as much time as necessary to rest. Cody Bellinger can replace him at first base. Roberts declined to provide a timetable for Gonzalez to rejoin the starting lineup, besides saying he was "hopeful" Gonzalez could recover by the All-Star break.
"We'll just take it as slow as we possibly can," Roberts said.
The injury to Gonzalez accelerated the progression of Joc Pederson's rehabilitation assignment. Pederson was activated Tuesday. Roberts had hoped for Pederson to spend a week with triple-A Oklahoma City, gaining traction at the plate as he recovered from a concussion.
When Gonzalez reported his discomfort, the team elected to bring back Pederson, who collected three hits, including two homers, in three games in the minors. On Sunday, Pederson got a call from Roberts.
"I was supposed to be there a few more days," Pederson said. "But things happened, and my symptoms felt good. He said, 'Are you healthy?' And I said, 'Yeah.' I'm glad to be back with the team. But it was a couple days early, for sure."
Pederson has not played for the Dodgers since May 23, when he collided in the outfield with Yasiel Puig. The incident left him with spasms in his neck, in addition to the concussion. He struggled to rotate his neck. His symptoms started to fade last week, he said.
Even so, his performance at the plate will be under the microscope. During Pederson's absence, Chris Taylor filled in well in center field, despite a lack of experience at the position.
With Pederson back, Taylor will shift to left field, the space formerly occupied by Bellinger. Pederson is hoping to improve on a shoddy start to the season, in which he batted .200 and hit only two homers.
"I feel like I'm in a good spot," Pederson said. "But it's difficult to come back, to take games off, and then go play."
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