While the Los Angeles Dodgers have the depth to physically fill the void left by Justin Turner, there’s no replacing his production in the lineup. Turner was confident the team would press ahead just fine while he recovered from a fractured left wrist, but that’s been tough sledding.
Upon suffering the injury in March, the Dodgers and Turner maintained there wasn’t a specific timetable for his return. General manager Farhan Zaidi said the club was informed Turner’s stint on the disabled list would be weeks, not months.
Turner said he was told the fracture could take anywhere from one month to 10 weeks to fully heal. While on the 10-day DL, he’s played light catch and fielded soft grounders rolled to him.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently stated Turner had begun hitting off a tee, but that proved to be premature. While Turner still is not there, he’s making progress.
For the first time since suffering the fractured wrist, the All-Star third baseman is swinging a bat, per Josh Cooper on MLB.com:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said third baseman Justin Turner (left wrist fracture) is taking “dry swings,” but didn’t have much more of an update.
“I don’t know when he’s slated to take ‘on-the-field’ batting practice, but I know he has taken dry swings,” Roberts said.
Since beginning the season with Turner on the disabled list, the Dodgers have used Kyle Farmer, Logan Forsythe, Kiké Hernandez and Max Muncy at third base. Forsythe was due to receive the bulk of the starts but now himself is on the 10-day DL due to right shoulder inflammation.
As a result, Muncy has been the primary starter at third base since he was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Assuming Turner continues to recover without any setbacks, he soon could begin a rehab assignment. Based off that and previous suggestions, a return in May or June would appear feasible.
