Including Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers have played their past three games without Justin Turner in the lineup. He sat out the series finale against the San Francisco Giants due to a sore left ankle, then was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday.
Turner was deemed available off the bench for both contests, though he did not appear in either. With the Dodgers having secured a seventh consecutive National League West title, he was given another night off rather than return to play through the minor injury.
Had it been a game of consequence or the postseason, Turner would have played. Nevertheless, lingering discomfort prompted an X-ray that did not produce conclusive results, and he therefore was sent for an MRI.
According to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group, it revealed Turner has a mild ankle sprain:
MRI on Justin Turner’s ankle confirmed mild sprain. Day to day. #Dodgers
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 12, 2019
All things considered, the prognosis is about as positive of an outcome as the Dodgers could have hoped for given the lingering soreness Turner has been limited by. If L.A. can avoid using Turner throughout the weekend, he would further benefit from an off day for the team on Monday.
Since Aug. 1, Turner is batting batting .302/.364/.621 with four doubles, 11 home runs and 21 RBI in 31 games (30 starts). His 10 home runs in August set a career high for most in a single month.
In addition to Turner, the Dodgers are also facing some injury concern with Alex Verdugo. His recovery from back soreness has stalled and led to the Dodgers shutting him down for the time being.
There is some positive news, however, as Rich Hill came off the injured list to start Thursday, and Max Muncy is due back Friday.
Dodgers manager Manager Dave Roberts previously said the Dodgers will not sacrifice health in pursuit of the top seed in the NL or best record in baseball.
