Though it took awhile to come to fruition, Justin Turner ultimately re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a multi-year contract that was finalized just before the start of Spring Training.
The 36-year-old reported to camp much slimmer, which was a byproduct of participating in a Whole30 diet along with his wife Kourtney.
Turner revealed that getting down to around 200 pounds was a priority of his. “The last four or five years I’ve always had a goal of trying to get down to around 200 pounds, if not just under 200 pounds,” Turner explained.
“I always have kind of plateaued at 201, 202 and never really been able to get there. So when my wife wanted to do this Whole30 diet, I jumped on board and started seeing results right away. I think I got down as low as 192 at one point.
“Working my way back up to getting right around 200 pounds, but just doing it the right way. Eating good and eating clean.”
Now having reached his target weight, Turner noted that he isn’t concerned his swing or power will be affected. “I feel like I’m in a good spot,” he said. “Obviously, if I don’t come out hitting a bunch of homers there will probably be everyone trying to equate it to, ‘Oh I lost weight, so I lost my power.’
“But I don’t think that’s the case. I feel like I’m trending in the right direction right now. Things are starting to come together and I feel like offensively, I’m right where I need to be about 10 days from Opening Day.”
The weight loss is already paying off for Turner, as he feels more agile and confident in his ability to recover faster from soreness. “Like I said, I’ve felt good,” he reiterated.
“I feel like I’m recovering better from the sore achiness after playing a seven-inning game the other day, wasn’t there, which I have usually experienced in the past. So I’m happy with the way I feel right now.”
Turner defends Ohio State forward during March Madness
Turner came to the defense of Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell, who received threatening messages after the team’s loss to No. 15 Oral Roberts in overtime.
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