The Los Angeles Dodgers are without the services of All-Star third baseman Justin Turner for the foreseeable future, but are confident that the quality depth assembled over the years can collectively replace his production for the time being.
Logan Forsythe is expected to receive the bulk of playing time at third base while Turner is out, but Kyle Farmer will also see an occasional opportunity at the hot corner. That was the case in the final two games of the four-game set against the San Francisco Giants.
Though he failed to record a hit in those contests, Farmer has already made a strong defensive impression at third base. On Saturday, he robbed Giants third baseman Evan Longoria of a hit with an excellent diving stop.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has noticed Farmer’s progression as a third baseman and believes the more opportunities he receives, the better defensively he will become.
“From our player development, they’ve talked about his defense at third base being very good,” Roberts said. “Confident at third base. So for me, over the last couple years I’ve seen the same thing. To give him a little opportunity to play third base and trust over there, get his bat in there on a day that we want to give Logan [Forsythe] a break, it’s a good opportunity.”
Farmer, a natural catcher, was primarily included on the Opening Day roster to free up additional playing time for Austin Barnes at second base.
But even when Turner returns from the disabled list, Farmer may find himself in the Dodgers’ longterm plans due to his improving defensive versatility. “Sure,” said Roberts, when asked if Farmer can keep a spot on the 25-man roster when Turner is reinstated from the 10-day disabled list.
“I think that to have him on the roster and not play him doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. So to give him a good chance to get a couple starts here and there and see what it looks like, see how he responds, certainly.
“Having three catchers, the ability to play third base freeing up our other catchers is certainly a luxury. So we’re going to get a good look at Kyle.”
Over the offseason, Farmer changed his workout routine to improve his pitch framing skills as a backstop. It correlated to an offensive uptick for the 27-year-old as well, as he posted a 1.118 on-base plus slugging percentage over 24 Cactus League games.
