It was just a little blurb on Twitter. In fact, aside from two brief tweets by DodgerTalk’s David Vassegh and a couple others, the only other mention of it was a very brief one-liner by Dodgers beat writer Steve Dilbeck. Heck, even the Dodgers PR people didn’t mention it.

“Right there I just want to be cautious,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters, after Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. “I don’t think it’s anything.”

The “right there” refers to Roberts removing Gold Glove first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from Sunday’s matinee series finale against the Brewers in the seventh inning, and the “anything” refers to the fact that the 35-year-old veteran recently returned from an extended (two-month) stint on the disabled list for “lower back discomfort,” a condition that has plagued the future Hall of Famer for the past two seasons.

Truth be told, there is nothing to even remotely suggest that Roberts’ decision to pull his star first baseman is anything more than just being “cautious.” Then again, this is what we were told about AGon several times in the past until he finally ended up on the 10-day and subsequently the 60-day DL which, incredibly, was only his second time on the DL in his 14-year MLB career. The first came two months earlier for a 10-day DL stint for “right elbow soreness.”

Even though Roberts gave no indication as to when Gonzalez first noticed his back tightness on Sunday afternoon, it’s no secret that AGon’s past back issues occurred while swinging the bat.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

So what’s the big deal about a little Adrian Gonzalez back tightness. you ask? The answer to this is blatantly obvious … or at least it should be.

It was AGon landing on the DL – first for his sore right (non-throwing) elbow and later for his lower back discomfort – that led to 22-year-old Dodgers rookie phenom Cody Bellinger being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 25. The rest, as they say, is history, with the young Scottsdale, Arizona native breaking franchise (and MLB) records almost daily. Bellinger was so good offensively and defensively as AGon’s replacement at first base that it wasn’t long before Dodger fans were saying (or at least thinking) ‘take your time and get 100 percent healthy, AGon.’

Not only did Bellinger add an enormous power bat to the Dodgers daily lineup during AGon’s prolonged absence, he also brought what will undoubtedly one day be a first base Gold Glove. He also brought something intangible with him from OKC, something that you won’t find on any baseball analytics or sabermetrics website; he brought a much-needed spark to a (then) struggling Dodgers team that has since gone on to become one of the best teams in baseball history.

The bad news is that Bellinger himself is currently on the 10-day disabled list for a mild right ankle sprain suffered on August 19 while playing right field because AGon had returned from the DL and was playing first base. And while there is no disputing that Bellinger is an above average outfielder, he is – in every sense of the word – a true pure first baseman.

The good news is that Roberts told the media on Sunday that not only would Bellinger be activated from the DL on Tuesday when the team begins a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, he will be playing first base upon his return. Exactly why is certainly subject to speculation. It could be nothing more than the fact that the Dodgers have a stable full of extremely talented outfielders in Curtis Granderson, Chris Taylor, Yasiel Puig, and Kiké Hernandez.

Then again, this could also be a clue that perhaps AGon isn’t as 100 percent healthy as he (and Roberts) would like us to believe. In other words, this might be an indication that the beloved Dodgers first baseman is headed back to the DL.

…or perhaps even retirement.