Dodgers manager told the media prior to the club’s afternoon matchup with the San Diego Padres that they will once again be without third baseman Justin Turner, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Justin Turner has back tightness. Not available today.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) September 26, 2019
The primary reason seems to be back tightness although Turner has recently dealt with a plethora of aches and pains as October nears.
This is not good news for the Dodgers or Turner regardless of the severity. A banged up Turner could imply less production in the postseason, which is obviously not a good thing as it shortens the lineup.
Turner has only managed to accrue 32 plate appearances this month across nine games. He has struggled when he has been on the field, mustering a poor slash line of .185/.313/.296. Not good to see, albeit in a small sample size.
Turner was able to play all three games of the series with the Colorado Rockies from September 20-22 which was encouraging. Additionally, Dave Roberts also told the media that Turner would be in the lineup if the game was in October:
Roberts said if the playoffs started today, Turner and Seager would play.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) September 26, 2019
That restores some confidence, but with the lackluster play and aches and pains, Turner’s ailments could be being downplayed here.
Only time will tell as time moves on, but a fully healthy Turner is a must if the Dodgers want to not only return to the World Series, but win it.
