The Dodgers have placed third baseman Justin Turner on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 30, with an abdominal strain. Turner hasn’t played for an extended stretch as he’s nursed the injury, with the Dodgers turning to Max Muncy at the hot corner of late.
Turner, 37, got off to a slow start to the season but has turned things on of late. He raked at a .400/.485/.545 clip last month, drawing eight walks against just nine strikeouts through 66 trips to the plate. That’s pushed his season line up to .257/.332/.405 across 355 plate appearances, offense that checks in ten points above league average by measure of wRC+. That’s still the worst mark Turner’s posted since his 2014 breakout, but he’s again looked like a valuable bat for L.A. even as he’s entered his late-30’s.
Of course, the Dodgers can afford to be patient with Turner’s recovery. They enter play Tuesday with a massive 12-game cushion in the NL West, setting them up to ease the workload of some of their veterans as they look ahead towards the postseason. The Dodgers are also slated to get a look at top third base prospect Miguel Vargas, who’s up from Triple-A Oklahoma City for the first time.
