The Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series hopes have suffered a blow before the start of the season with slugger Justin Tuner breaking his wrist in spring training.
Turner was hit by a Kendall Graveman pitch in a Cactus League game against the Oakland Athletics on Monday, which is expected to keep him out of Opening Day (March 29) and possibly several weeks after.
“I was hoping obviously the X-rays would be negative, but there’s a small non-displaced fracture,” said Turner, who was hit by a pitch 19 times last season, ranking fourth in the National League.
Justin Turner suffers broken wrist, unlikely to return before May pic.twitter.com/RtGO6HIytJ
— Re2pect ✊ (@iLetsPlayBall) March 20, 2018
The reigning NL champions will now be without their regular third baseman and No3 hitter, who made the All-Star team for the first time last season when he was third in the league with a .322 batting average, while knocking 21 home runs and 71 runs batted in.
The 33-year-old also had six home runs in the playoffs, including a three-run walk-off shot in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, in which he earned MVP honours.
“We’re not as good of a team without J.T.,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said.
In Turner’s absence, Los Angeles will likely move Cody Bellinger into No3 in the lineup, while shifting Logan Forsythe from second base to third.
That leaves a committee of Chase Utley, Austin Barnes and Enrique Hernandez to fill time at second.
The Dodgers could also explore making a trade, but Zaidi is confident the team can manage with what they already have.
“We do feel good about our internal options,” he said. “There are guys who can move around.”
