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LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers acquired Trea Turner from the Nationals on July 30. They will have their first glimpse of their new All-Star on Friday against the Angels.
Turner, who tested positive for COVID-19 on July 27, was cleared to return to the field and was activated by the Dodgers minutes before the first pitch of the series opener. He will be available off the bench, and the plan is for him to be in the starting lineup on Saturday.
In order to make room on the active roster, the Dodgers placed left-hander Victor González on the 10-day injured list with inflamed right knee.
Manager Dave Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman met Turner on Friday, and Turner expressed his desire to remain an infielder and not play so much on center court, which he did briefly at the start. of her career. With Corey Seager taking care of most of the shortstop duties, Turner will play primarily at second base for the Dodgers.
“We see him as a top shortstop, a superstar player in the game,” said Roberts. “But we like Corey at the shortstop, and Trea’s potential versatility with his athleticism allows for different things. It’s something different for him when it comes to the job, so making him comfortable is very important to him and the Dodgers.
Turner, 28, is hitting .322 with 18 homers and 21 stolen goals this season. It gives the Dodgers yet another weapon in the roster and presents a lot of basic path issues for opposing pitchers that the Dodgers have been lacking for some time.
Placing Turner in the batting order certainly won’t be a problem for Roberts, but with him as the daily second baseman, it creates some interesting decisions with the rest of the roster. With 53 games to go, one of the Dodgers’ regulars will be left out. It’s a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.
Chris Taylor, who has played at center field and second base this season, will continue to see the time at center field and will move to left field when the team wants to give AJ Pollock a shot. He could also register for third base when Justin Turner takes his leave.
With Taylor swinging a hot bat and needing consistent plate appearances, that leaves the Dodgers with a decision to make over Cody Bellinger, who has mostly taken on the team’s responsibilities in centerfield.
Bellinger has struggled powerfully at home this season, entering Friday’s game with a .168 batting average and .557 OPS. With so much talent to work with, his value as an elite defender might not outweigh the fact that he hasn’t shown signs of coming out of his season slump.
The 2019 National League MVP was out of the lineup for the second time this week on Friday and his playing time could be limited as the Dodgers face right-handed pitchers.
“Every night there will be a great player who doesn’t start and that’s just kind of where we’re at,” said Roberts. “Right now, where we’re on the schedule, we have to win baseball games. We are four games back in the loss column [entering Friday] and we have to win. I have to put the best guys out there who I think can win a game that night.
Adding Turner to the active roster certainly gives the Dodgers a boost.
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