Chris Taylor was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Friday night a fourth consecutive game due to aggravating what’s been a lingering neck injury throughout much of September.
Taylor previously sat out five consecutive games beginning on Sept. 11 before he was able to pinch-hit in the series opener against the Cincinnati Reds last week. Taylor followed that with back-to-back starts at Great American Ball Park, but it brought about some regression.
Taylor therefore was deemed unavailable for the first two games against the Colorado Rockies and it prompted the Dodgers to activate AJ Pollock off the 10-day injured list earlier than anticipated.
If not for going to extra innings against the Rockies on Thursday, Taylor likely would have missed a third consecutive game rather than make a pinch-hit appearance. With a tentative plan to return to the lineup on Saturday, Taylor indicated he’s recovered well this week, via SportsNet LA:
“I probably feel as good as I have. I think I’m really close. … It’s hard to say one thing that causes it. I know playing the outfield, I feel it a lot anytime there’s tension in my shoulders. The swing, luckily, it’s more on my right side. I look left better than I look right, so I don’t feel it as much swinging. Once it’s bad, you feel it doing everything.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had previously noted Taylor was “feeling better” and the team likely would not need to place him on the 10-day IL. “The pain medication or shot, whatever it is that he got, it seems to be working,” Roberts added. “The mobility is getting better.”
Taylor wound up appearing as a pinch-hitter against the Diamondbacks and played two innings in left field. His night ended with back-to-back highlight-reel catches during the ninth inning.
“I hope he comes out of it feeling good because I’ve got him penciled in the lineup [Saturday],” Roberts said after the win. “This is a guy that got a shot in his neck a few days ago and is chomping at the bit to play. I can’t say enough about him.”
Taylor indeed did start in Saturday’s game.
Contract extension for Taylor?
While Taylor’s production has curtailed a bit, his value to the team remains unquestioned. The Dodgers reportedly considered a contract extension for Taylor earlier this season as he is due to become a free agent in the winter.
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