The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a major blow with the news that Justin Turner sustained a fractured left wrist after being hit by a pitch in Monday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.
In a more positive development, it was already determined that the star third baseman’s unfortunate injury won’t require surgery. Though, a timetable for Turner’s return won’t be made public.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers faced another scare when Cody Bellinger was prematurely removed from the second of a back-to-back home-and-away series with the Athletics. The 2017 National League Rookie of the Year fouled a ball off foot ankle during his third plate appearance, which resulted in him being replaced by Mike Ahmed in the fourth inning.
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Bellinger’s removal from the game wasn’t injury-related, but instead, merely Roberts’ decision:
He was not hurt: The removal was a manager’s decision.
“He’s fine,” Roberts said. “I held my breath a little bit. It was good to hear it hit plastic [Bellinger’s shin guard]. When you see him hobbling, but you see a little smile, it’s a little relief. Getting to the end of camp, you want to keep these guys as healthy as possible.”
It makes sense that the Dodgers were presumably being cautious with Bellinger, given he will be depended on even more in the absence of Turner.
Manager Dave Roberts recently revealed that Bellinger will likely bat third in the lineup while Turner is sidelined for the foreseeable future.
In 14 Cactus League games, Bellinger has torn the cover off the ball to the tune of a .263/.364/.553 batting line in 38 at-bats. Furthermore, he has accumulated five extra-base hits this spring, including three home runs to go along with seven RBI.
By coming out early, Bellinger got a jumpstart on rest, as the Dodgers have Wednesday off.
