Turner's fractured left wrist won't need surgery
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dodgers All-Star third baseman Justin Turner, who sustained a small non-displaced fracture of his left wrist on Monday night when hit by a Kendall Graveman pitch, revealed "good news" on Tuesday, telling MLB.com he will not need to undergo surgery. Turner's wrist will be in a brace for a few days, after which he will begin range-of-motion exercises, Turner said.
Turner, who will open the season on the disabled list, was re-examined by a local hand specialist, Dr. Brian Shafer, on Tuesday.
General manager Farhan Zaidi said this type of injury is "usually on the order of weeks" and that the club is not looking to replace Turner with an acquisition because of confidence in its internal depth.
"You feel for the player and we're not as good a team without J.T., no doubt about that," said Zaidi. "The rest of the guys are going to have to do more for us to play at the same level.
:: Spring Training coverage presented by Camping World ::
"But the next thought, practically, is what it means for the team, and as far as that goes, we have some very capable guys who are going to be given a chance to seize an opportunity. We feel very confident staying in-house with this one and the hope is we're not missing him too long."
Manager Dave Roberts said his initial thought was to move second baseman John Forsythe to third base and platoon at second with Chase Utley and Enrique Hernandez. He said he also could use catcher Austin Barnes at second base, as he occasionally has in the past.
"I know J.T.'s down, it's a blow, a guy you count on every day," said Roberts. "It's tough, but that's baseball and we have a lot of good players and guys have to step up."
Turner's wrist area was wrapped tightly to minimize the swelling.
"It didn't feel good," Turner said. "Definitely not what I wanted to hear. It started to feel better getting the X-ray and I was hoping it would come back negative. Then you get the news, and it's tough.
"This close to the season, it's not ideal. We've got a lot of good ballplayers in here and I don't think anyone is going to feel sorry for us. We've still got to go out and play. It's an opportunity for someone to step up and help win games."
The 33-year-old Turner, who crowds the plate and was hit by a team-high 19 pitches last year, let out a screech and went down in pain when hit by the pitch in the first inning of an eventual 3-1 win over the A's. He was lifted for pinch-runner Donovan Solano.
"It's baseball," said Turner. "Stuff happens. I'm going to do everything I can to get back as fast as I can. In the meantime, there's a lot of good baseball players in here, I don't think we'll miss a beat."
This is Turner's fifth season as a Dodger; he originally signed a Minor League contract after he was non-tendered by the Mets.
Since then, he has emerged as a star on the field and a presence in the clubhouse, earning his first All-Star berth last year. This is his 10th big league season, coming off a .322/.415/.530 slashline, with the batting average ranking third in the National League. He slugged 21 homers with 71 RBIs, down from career-high totals in 2016 of 27 and 90. He finished eighth in NL MVP Award voting.
Turner has also proved to be a postseason hero. His 14 RBIs last year set a Dodgers record for one postseason and included a dramatic walk-off homer in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Cubs, helping him earn series co-MVP honors with teammate Chris Taylor.
Turner is in the second year of a four-year, $64 million contract. Last year teammates and coaches voted him the Roy Campanella Award winner for spirit and leadership, and he was the club's nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.