Dodgers star third baseman, Justin Turner, suffered a non-displaced fracture in his wrist on Monday during a spring training game against the Oakland Athletics; but just how bad is his injury?
It was first reported that his injury was a possible broken wrist that would’ve caused him to miss a bunch of time. A surgery was also thought to be in order, meaning even more time for Turner to spend on the sidelines. However, a bit of good news came out today from Manager Dave Roberts when he addressed the media.
The All-Star third baseman is expected to heal without surgery, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. No surgery would definitely mean a shorter recovery time for Turner. However, Roberts says there is still no definitive word yet on how long he will be out.
“Weeks are involved when you’re talking about a fracture of any sort,” said Roberts on how long he thinks Turner will need to sit out. “It’s just essentially time, that’s the initial thought. That could change, but that’s what I’ve heard.”
Turner had a cast over his wrist at camp this morning and was scheduled to see a hand specialist.
Turner hit .322 with 21 homers and 71 RBIs last year. He had 14 RBIs in the postseason, including seven against the Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series, when he and teammate Chris Taylor shared the MVP award.
The Dodgers will look to move Logan Forsythe from second base to third in Turner’s absence. Enrique Hernandez and Chase Utley will most likely split time at second.
The Dodgers open the season up at home next Thursday, March 29 at 4:08 pm PT. They will face off against heated rival, San Francisco Giants in the first of a four game series.
