The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the regular season without the services of All-Star third baseman Justin Turner, who fractured his wrist near the end of March when he was hit by a pitch in a Cactus League game.
That opened the door for Logan Forsythe to receive the bulk of his reps at the hot corner, but he struggled out of the gate and has since been placed on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder discomfort. Forsythe attributed the injury to playing third base and making longer throws than he’s accustomed to.
Injuries have certainly hampered the Dodgers in the early going, but they have additionally created opportunities for Kyle Farmer at third base.
Farmer said he will look to capitalize during the time Turner and Forsythe take to recover from their respective injuries, via Jay Paris of MLB.com:
“Any playing time is good playing time,” Farmer said. “I’m sad to see Logan go down. But him and J.T. will be back soon. So I’m just going to make the most out of the opportunity I’ve got to go out there and get another ‘W’ and get us rolling.”
Though he is naturally a catcher, Farmer has exclusively appeared at third base this year. He received four starts at the position thus far, with his most recent one on Monday against the San Diego Padres.
Farmer went 1-for-3 with a walk in the contest, improving his slash line to .294/.368/.353. He has tallied just 19 plate appearances to date, but that will likely increase while Forsythe and Turner are sidelined.
Additionally, Farmer is tied with Chase Utley and the Cubs’ Tommy La Stella for most pinch-hits this season (four). Forsythe is expected to return once his DL stint concludes, while Turner has recently begun swinging a bat and playing catch again.
