Why Justin Turner Was Out of The Lineup On Tuesday

Justin Turner did not play on Tuesday night, a 5-0 victory by the Dodgers. Los Angeles still hit three home runs for the fourth straight game. Still, Turner serves as the role of Dodgers’ clubhouse leader right now. He’s beloved by all. Any time that he’s out of the lineup, it should raise a few eyebrows.

Equally important, it wasn’t just a routine day of rest for Turner following Monday’s off-day. Turner is dealing with soreness in his previously fractured left wrist, according to reports.

Justin Turner is dealing with soreness in his previously fractured left wrist. He used a stim machine on the area this afternoon.

— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) June 5, 2018

This is a situation worth monitoring, at least a little bit. Upon his return, Turner’s performance has been ‘steady’ but not spectacular. While playing great defense, he’s hit .250 in 18 games with a .660 OPS. He has one home run and 10 runs batted in. Turner is grinding and having quality at-bats. That much is probably going to always be the baseline for a veteran of his stature. However, his inability to really drive pitches has not been seen yet.

This can all likely be chalked up to the wrist not being completely healed. It is expected that Turner will be in the lineup Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Analysis

Until Turner gets back to the player we all remember offensively, this is worth keeping an eye on. While not necessarily alarming to give a guy returning from injury an extra day of rest, I’ve noticed that Turner is not quite himself. Again – all normal given the severity of the wrist injury he’s returning from. If a few days here and there in the schedule provide Turner with some extra rest, he will probably be better off down the stretch run when the best version of himself is needed.