The Los Angeles Dodgers rallied late to start the second half of their schedule with a win over the San Francisco Giants, but they potentially incurred another injury along the way as Justin Turner was removed from the 9-6 comeback win.
Rather than lead off the bottom of the eighth inning, Turner was pinch-hit for by Jake Lamb. Shortly thereafter the Dodgers announced Turner came out of the game due to abdominal tightness.
“I just talked to him briefly and he thinks that we got ahead of it,” manager Dave Roberts said after the win. “So I think it was something in the abdomen.
“I really don’t know enough yet. I just got word in the middle of the game that where he was at physically, he couldn’t take any more at-bats. So I don’t know if it’s something [Friday] he’s going be ready to go, or we’ll give him a day or two to kind of reset. Not sure.”
Roberts added he also wasn’t certain how or when Turner may have injured himself. Turner went 1-for-3 with a two-run double prior to being removed. The extra-base hit extended the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0 in the third inning.
It also was the product of some good fortune as Luis González lost the routine fly ball in the lights and was left without a play as it landed behind him in right field.
Turner nevertheless is now batting .385 with a 1.006 on-base plus slugging percentage during the month of July. He additionally has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games.
When will Justin Turner return?
It’s likely Turner will not be in the Dodgers lineup on Friday night, and Roberts suggested the team would potentially give him multiple days off in order to get healthy.
If Turner is to go on the 10-day injured list, it could create more opportunities for Zach McKinstry or Eddy Alvarez, or potentially open the door for Miguel Vargas to make his MLB debut. However, calling up Vargas would require first adding him to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.
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