The Los Angeles Dodgers lineup had a different look for their series opener with the San Diego Padres last weekend as Trea Turner did not start for the first time this season.
The two-time All-Star got the night off after being in the lineup for the first 130 games. “Last night we were getting on the plane to come home. He said, ‘How about an off-day tomorrow?'” Turner recalled of a conversation with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“I said, ‘Are you benching me? If you’re benching me all right, but I feel good.’ He wouldn’t commit to the benching comment, so I’m just going to go with that one.”
Turner takes pride in playing every game but understood Roberts’ decision to rest him. “I knew he was going to come eventually. I fought him off for 125 games or so. I knew it was going to happen eventually,” Turner said.
“He’s probably right in the sense it’s a good time and whatnot, but like I said, I feel good so I want to play. But it probably makes sense to take a little breather.”
Turner hoped to start in every game this season after getting past the 50 mark. “I think after like 30, 40, 50 games it’s a pride thing. It’s not easy to play 50 games in a row in general.
“It’s a little bit of a pride thing, but it’s a little of what Freddie said, ‘We get paid to play, so come show up and do our job.’
“Some people are lucky enough to play every day, some people have different roles and whatnot. I’m lucky enough to play every day, so I try to take advantage of it.”
Turner didn’t push Roberts to rest Freeman
With Turner sitting out the series opener against the Padres, Freddie Freeman is now the only Dodgers player to start in all 136 games this season.
However, Roberts has said he will look to give him a day of rest at some point as well. “No,” Turner answered when asked if he tried to convince Roberts to sit Freeman out for one game.
“I know he’s been trying to get Freddie one too for a while now. I know he’s been knocking on his door. It’s on him. If he wants to play all of them, he can play all of them. But I know Doc’s going to try to get him out of at least one, so we’ll see.”
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