Dodgers: Five players on the bubble for the postseason roster

1B Adrian Gonzalez

Adrian Gonzalez is easily one of the most beloved players on the Los Angeles Dodgers, which makes it a shame that his inclusion on the playoff roster is even questioned. Ever since the Dodgers acquired Gonzalez alongside Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto, back in 2012, Gonzalez has seemed to be a perfect fit on the Dodgers.

While the regressions with his age were evident, Gonzalez was still producing at a high level up until this season. Gonzalez his more than 100 RBIs in his first two years and hit exactly 90 in 2015 and 2016. The home runs dipped under 20 for just the second full season of his career, yet last year he still hit .285.

Then, everything changed this season. Gonzalez started off the season sluggish as he was battling injury. All it took was a 10 day DL stint for Joc Pederson for Cody Bellinger’s star to be born. Bellinger, who was only supposed to be a short-term option, slugged his way into the starting lineup in the outfield, and eventually, at first base.

Even with Gonzalez healthy, we have not seen much of him since Bellinger rolled his ankle in the outfield back in August. Gonzalez has only had 14 at-bats this month, only collecting three hits.

While his bat may not be the same as it was before, Gonzalez provides veteran leadership and is still one of the best defensively at first base. With so much experience, Gonzalez can turn it around at any second and give the Dodgers production. If the outfield does not pan out, and Gonzo gets hot, he very well could be the starting first baseman again.

Verdict: Makes postseason roster