Make no mistake about it, an Advanced Single-A rehab game is not the same as a major league game, not by any stretch of the imagination. However, a 93-MPH fastball is a 93-MPH fastball and a filthy slider is a filthy slider no matter what level it is on.

On Monday night, rehabbing Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez saw his fair share of 93-MPH fastballs, filthy sliders and wicked curveballs from several different Stockton Ports (A’s) pitchers, all of whom wanted nothing more than to strike out the 14-year major league veteran.

None of them did.

Although the box score from Monday night’s game – which ended in a 10-inning / 7-6 Quakes loss – shows that the 35-year-old five-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover and two-time Silver Slugger went 0-for-5 in the second of what figures to be several rehab games, it does not show how hard the San Diego, California native and unofficial Dodgers team captain hit the ball, nor does it show that one of his outs was a fly ball to very deep left-center field that came within three feet of being a game-winning / three-run home run but for an outstanding leaping catch by Ports center fielder Skye Bolt. No, according to the box score, AGon went o-for-5 with three ground outs, a pop out and a fly out.

Fans with a keen eye undoubtedly noticed that in spite of his 0-for-5 night at the plate on Monday, Adrian Gonzalez is very close to getting his timing back after spending most of the season on the disabled list for a herniated disk in his lower back. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But wait, there’s more.

In addition to putting the ball in play in all five of his at-bats, Gonzalez also made several dazzling defensive plays at first base during his nine innings of the 10-inning affair. One such play was a diving backhanded grab of a hard grounder to his right and another one of his signature 3-6-3 double play attempts in which the runner at first was safe by less than a half step. He also snagged a hard line drive at his shoe laces for the third out of the ninth inning with runners at the corners.

But what does all of this mean with the Dodgers currently enjoying a 17.5-game lead in the National League West with a remarkable (and historic) .709 winning percentage, not to mention having Cody Bellinger – the probable 2017 NL Rookie of the Year – as AGon’s current replacement? Why on earth would the Dodgers even consider fixing what clearly isn’t broken?

The short answer is that Gonzalez, in all likelihood, will not return to the Dodgers 40-man roster until September 1, when MLB rosters expand.

The longer answer is that Bellinger is a also very good outfielder, especially in left field. And with Joc Pederson currently mired in what is arguably the worst slump of his short four-year MLB career, the most likely scenario is that AGon will return to his career position at first base, Bellinger moved to left field, and a smoking-hot Chris Taylor moved to center field for the struggling Pederson who, quite frankly, might benefit from spending some time at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The beauty of AGon’s pending return – again, which probably won’t happen until September 1 – is that Taylor can also play the infield, particularly second base, where he could conceivably replace a poor-hitting (.236) Logan Forsythe, should the Dodgers elect to keep Pederson up with the big club.

But for now – at least for the next two and a half weeks – Adrian Gonzalez will more than likely continue his rehabilitation with the Quakes, Cody Bellinger will carry on as the Dodgers everyday first baseman, Chris Taylor will (probably) remain in left field, Joc Pederson will (probably) remain in center field and Logan Forsythe will (probably) remain at second base.

For now.