While the Los Angeles Dodgers may struggle to replace the production Justin Turner provides, they have the depth to likely withstand his absence. Manager Dave Roberts has already indicated doing so in the field will primarily go to Logan Forsythe, who was penciled in at second base.
He returns for a second season with the Dodgers, as the club picked up the $9 million option on Forsythe’s contract. Prior to Turner suffering a fractured left wrist as a result of being hit by a pitch, there was optimism Forsythe would shake off an injury-plagued 2017 that affected his swing.
While there will be attention paid to how Forsythe fares at the plate, his move to third base will also face some scrutiny. Though, it’s a position he’s comfortable playing and is confident in being able to man it while Turner is out, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“I’m ready to play third, you know that,” said Forsythe, who came up as a third baseman but has been primarily a second baseman since his second big league season in 2012.
“It’s just switching the workload to third. Take a little off second-base side. I know all the plays and all the signs, so there’s no learning curve there. And now it’s just a matter of getting comfortable.”
Forsythe played 42 games (31 starts) at third base last season, which was a career high for games at the position in a single season. The bulk of that came while Turner was sidelined by a hamstring strain.
Forsythe is the natural candidate to fill in for Turner, but the Dodgers conceivably also have options in Austin Barnes, Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor. Kyle Farmer is another candidate, and that could manifest itself if the Dodgers include him on their Opening Day roster.
