After Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner played for the Quakes during his rehab last week, he will make his reappearance to the lineup during today’s game in Miami.
Los Angeles Dodgers fans’ prayers have been answered!
Third baseman Justin Turner is expected to be back in the lineup (wrist injury) on Tuesday, May 15 against the Miami Marlins. This might be the perfect time for his return, considering the only team in the MLB that might be worse than the Dodgers right now are the Marlins. But that doesn’t even count because the Marlins technically have a triple-A roster. A good way to ease Turner into the big leagues is with another rehab assignment.
Speaking of rehab assignments…There probably isn’t one TRUE Dodger fan living in Rancho Cucamonga. The only thing that city has going for it is the Quakes (Dodgers’ single-A affiliate) so they have to be watching every Dodger game hoping for a big-name star to go down with an injury. That way, Quakes season-ticket holders get a few games to watch players like Justin Turner.
Turner and Dodger teammate Logan Forsythe played in a few games for the Quakes during their rehab stints, including “Star Wars Night” last weekend. Tickets sold out and the Quakes auctioned off a signed Justin Turner Star Wars jersey with proceeds benefiting Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles. The Turner jersey sold for $1,900.
Turner’s injury was basically just used as another promotional weekend for the Quakes, which makes me think the 2018 Dodgers and the city of Rancho Cucamonga are in cahoots to help stimulate the city’s economy.
The Dodgers have been plagued by injury all year long. The greatest regular-season pitcher of all time, Clayton Kershaw, is on the DL with bicep tendonitis. Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has arguably been the Dodgers’ best pitcher this year, is on the DL with a groin strain. Shortstop Corey Seager is out for the year after Tommy John surgery. The list goes on and on, which is probably why the Dodgers are off to their worst start (16-24) thru 40 games since 1958.
Everyone in the Dodgers’ lineup has to be excited about Turner’s return except for maybe Matt Kemp. Kemp (.317 avg., 5 HRs, 17 RBIs) would’ve been the only player the Dodgers sent to the all-star game this year since everyone else in the lineup has been awful. But now that Turner is back, he’s gonna hit .500 with 17 HRs in a two-month span and Kemp will be left out.
Also, if you doubt Justin Turner won’t show up and set the National League on fire (no pun intended) you’re dead wrong and probably shouldn’t go to Vegas and throw $100 on red. Turner went nuts in the playoffs last year and has been tearing it up for the Dodgers the past four seasons (.303 avg., 71 HRs, 264 RBIs). As a fan, it used to be cool to watch a game and have the satisfaction of calling your shot saying, “This guy’s gonna hit a HR right here.” Turner made it less fun. Every time he came up to the plate in a big situation during the playoffs, he came through in the clutch. I looked like a genius.
Justin Turner may be the greatest hitter of all time these past few years, but the jury’s still out on whether he’s a Long Beach guy or not. I respect that he declares Long Beach as his hometown, but that still doesn’t dismiss the fact that he went to Mayfair (not in Long Beach) and Cal State “Foolerton” (definitely not in Long Beach).
I’m a hard “NO” on the debate until he personally changes my mind, but I do love the way he plays. ELEVATE and CELEBRATE.