Before every game, Erik Gonzalez took ground balls at shortstop. The Indians’ utilityman did take reps at other positions, but he always made sure he got practice time at his position of choice. He’s been a shortstop at heart since he was six years old. It’s where he wants to play.
But there was no place for Gonzalez to play in Cleveland, let alone at shortstop. MVP candidate Francisco Lindor was blocking him at his position of choice. To his left, Jason Kipnis had second base down. To his right, Jose Ramirez was dominating the hot corner.