With Corey Seager nursing a balky right elbow, and Justin Turner a sore right hand, the Los Angeles Dodgers saw Chris Taylor slip on first base and come up limping in the bottom of the first inning.
Taylor was immediately checked on by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and head athletic trainer Nate Lucero. He gingerly jogged down the right-field line and remained in the game. But after Seager walked to put two on with nobody out, Curtis Granderson entered as a pinch-runner for Taylor.
“I think it was more precautionary to take me out,” he said after the Dodgers’ win. “It was more of a scare than anything. I slipped off the bag and jammed [my knee] a little bit.”
Taylor had already iced his knee and undergone stimulation treatment prior to speaking with the media. “I passed all the tests. Nothing serious, just slight soreness,” he said.
The 27-year-old is hoping to benefit from an off day Thursday and return to the lineup in Friday’s series opener with the Colorado Rockies. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts voiced a similar expectation.
“Fortunately, it was more of a scare,” Roberts said. “It’s not a good feeling when you see your center fielder and leadoff hitter hobbling. You don’t know if it’s the ankle or the knee. Initial evaluation says it was kind of a bone bruise.”
Taylor classified his injury as more of a hyperextended knee. “But I’m not a doctor,” he quipped.
After their weekend series at Coors Field, the Dodgers will have four days off before beginning the playoffs. Though, the club will hold workouts next week at Dodger Stadium in preparation for the National League Division Series.
