Friday marks 10 games out of the lineup for injured third baseman Justin Turner. While the Dodgers have fared well without him in the lineup (6-3 record), their chances in October are vastly improved with the former All-Star’s presence in the lineup.
Ahead of play on Friday, manager Dave Roberts gave us the news we’ve all been waiting for.
#Dodgers Dave Roberts said Justin Turner will start tomorrow in spring training mode —. 3 ABs and out
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 20, 2019
Turner will return to the Dodgers lineup on Saturday, and is available off the bench on Friday. Of course, this news is taken with some caution… it’s not the first time Roberts has announced JT’s return.
Last week, the manager prematurely stated that Turner would be in the lineup at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. However, he quickly back tracked on that proclamation.
The red head is no stranger to missed time, and with that, he is no stranger to getting himself ready for competitive at-bats in a major league game.
On the season, Turner owns a triple slash line of .291/.370/.514 and 132 wRC+ in 131 games. He tied a career high with his 27th home run on September 3rd, good for 4th on the team. In short, he’s an important bat for Los Angeles.
