After missing the previous 8 days and 7 games, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says that injured third baseman Justin Turner isn’t quite ready to come back from his ankle sprain. This marks something of a step back from the original announcement that Turner would be back in the lineup on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
#Dodgers Dave Roberts backtracked in saying Justin Turner would start Tuesday. Said he’s still having trouble with sprained ankle. Will evaluate again after off day Monday
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 16, 2019
The plan all along was for Turner to miss the weekend series in New York, but with his ankle not responding as well as hoped, concerns start to creep into the back of your mind. Los Angeles has only 11 more games to play this season, and have 18 days until the start of the National League Division Series round of the playoffs.
The red-head is set to be re-evaluated after Monday’s off-day in LA. On the season, he’s triple slashing .291/.370/.514 in 131 games. More importantly, he’s been a key cog in the Dodgers’ offensive attack since the All-Star break with 17 home runs in the second half.
In September, of course, there’s not much of a worry about healthy bodies to fill in admirably at third base. But the active roster that currently sits at 36 will have to be pared down to 25 before October 3.
