Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday he does not plan to shut down Turner, who has been dealing with a bone bruise in his heel since August, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Cora pledged Wednesday that the team will play out the string with its best players, and Turner has been one of them for much of the season. He started Wednesday's game, his 17th start through 19 games in September, but the injury may be taking its toll; Turner has a .625 OPS during the month. The player has given Cora no indication that he can't finish the season. "He won't tell me. He's always available. He wants to play," Cora said. "We signed him for 162-plus but right now, it looks like it's 162 and we've got to play through it. We've got to play all the way to the end." Turner is hitting .280 with 23 home runs, 95 RBI and an .818 OPS this season.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Takes seat Monday
Rotowire
Turner is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
Turner recorded just one hit in 11 at-bats over the past two days, so manager Alex Cora decided to give him a breather Monday. Trevor Story will serve as Boston's designated hitter and Bobby Dalbec will get the nod at first base.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Covers first for Casas
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Turner started at first base and went 2-for-4 with two doubles in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays.
Turner stepped in at first base for an injured Triston Casas (shoulder). The 38-year-old Turner has been a consistent producer and clubhouse presence all season for Boston and is expected to remain a regular over the final two weeks of the season. At this point, Adam Duvall is the veteran apt to lose plate appearances to younger talent.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Idle during nightcap
Rotowire
Turner isn't in Boston's lineup for Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader with the Yankees, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Turner will get to rest during Game 2 after going 1-for-4 to begin Thursday's activities. Rafael Devers will instead serve as the Red Sox's designated hitter while Luis Urias starts at the hot corner and bats ninth.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Turner is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Turner started the previous 20 games but will step out of the lineup Wednesday after he posted a .253/.345/.400 slash line with three homers, 15 RBI and 12 runs during that stretch. Masataka Yoshida will serve as the designated hitter while Wilyer Abreu starts in left field.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Big game Saturday
Rotowire
Turner went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo homer and an additional RBI and run scored in Saturday's win over the Dodgers.
Turner blasted a solo homer in the fourth inning, doubled and scored a run in the sixth, and added a run-scoring single in the seventh. The veteran's three-hit performance raised his second-half batting average to .293 alongside eight homers, 32 RBI and 21 runs across 116 at-bats.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Returns to lineup
Rotowire
Turner served as the designated hitter and went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Astros.
Turner was back in the lineup after receiving Monday off. He's been nursing a bruised heel and had been asked to play the field, something manager Alex Cora is trying to avoid, for consecutive games over the weekend.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Receives day off
Rotowire
Turner is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.
Turner had a big weekend series against the Yankees, but he will get some rest after starting two straight games at first base.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Homer, four RBI Sunday
Rotowire
Turner went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI in Sunday's 6-5 victory over the Yankees.
Turner put the Red Sox ahead 5-2 in the seventh inning with a two-run homer off Michael King, his 20th long ball of the year, before breaking a 5-5 tie with an RBI double in the ninth. Over his last eight games, the 38-year-old Turner's gone 10-for-29 (.345) with three home runs. His slash line is up to .288/.356/.488 with 79 RBI and 72 runs scored across 483 plate appearances this season. Turner made a second consecutive start at first base, but Triston Casas (tooth) could return Monday, which would allow Turner to return to DH. He's been battling a bruised bone in his left heel, and the Red Sox want to keep him off the foot as much as possible.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Plays field Saturday
Rotowire
Turner started at first base and went 0-for-4 in Saturday's 8-1 win over the Yankees.
Turner hadn't played the field since July 30 because the Red Sox are trying to keep him off his feet as much as possible while he battles bruised left heel. A last-minute adjustment to Saturday's lineup was needed when Triston Casas (tooth) was scratched. Earlier this week, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Pablo Reyes would assume the backup duties at first base due to Turner's condition, but the manager wanted to give Trevor Story a breather, and Reyes filled in at shortstop. Casas may not be available Sunday, so if Story returns to play shortstop, Reyes could take over at first base while Turner serves as the DH.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Sitting out Thursday
Rotowire
Turner is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Turner had started four straight games after returning from a heel injury over the weekend, but he'll sit out this afternoon tilt following Wednesday's night game loss to the Nats. Trevor Story is getting a day at designated hitter while Pablo Reyes plays shortstop.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Limited to DH
Rotowire
Turner will be limited to designated hitter duty while he plays through a bone bruise in his left heel, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Turner, who missed seven of 10 games at the start of August, returned to action four games ago, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora said playing the field is "off the table for a while." Turner will continue to serve as the DH as long as he's otherwise healthy. He's 5-for-16 with two home runs since his return.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Returns as designated hitter
Rotowire
Turner (heel) is back in the lineup Saturday against the Tigers, batting third and serving as the designated hitter.
Turner has been dealing with a bone bruise in his left heel throughout August, appearing in just three games and none since Monday. The injury typically requires an absence of at least a month, but the veteran has elected to play through the problem down the stretch. Whether or not the issue leads to increased absences and decreased performance remains to be seen.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Remains sidelined Friday
Rotowire
Turner (heel) is out of the lineup again Friday versus the Tigers.
Turner hasn't appeared in a game since Monday due to lingering discomfort related to a bone bruise in his left heel. He acknowledged this week that he'll likely have to play through pain down the stretch, which suggests he will face future shutdowns even after he returns. Pablo Reyes is covering second base Friday and Masataka Yoshida will serve as Boston's designated hitter.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Held out again Thursday
Rotowire
Turner (heel) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's tilt against the Royals.
Turner has now sat out three straight games and six of the last nine contests due to a left heel bone bruise suffered back on July 31. It's an injury that often requires a multi-week absence, although Turner plans to play through it and could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday. Trevor Story will be the designated hitter again Thursday as Pablo Reyes handles shortstop.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Plans to play through heel injury
Rotowire
Turner told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe on Wednesday that the left heel bone bruise he's dealing with typically requires 4-6 weeks of downtime, but he plans to play through the injury.
"It's an interesting one," Turner said. "It's a bone bruise. There's no real remedy for a bone bruise. You ask a medical person, they'll tell you 4-6 weeks avoiding impact. Obviously I don't have that luxury. So, trying to calm it down and get it as under control as I can and then try to go again and not piss it off. You don't really have a lot of options." Turner injured the heel back on July 31 and has started just three of eight games since, including sitting out each of Boston's last two contests. He could return to the lineup as soon as Thursday and plans to avoid the injured list, but it's certainly an injury that could affect Turner's production even if he does manage to play through it.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Remains out of lineup
Rotowire
Turner (heel) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's tilt versus the Royals, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
It's the second straight start Turner has missed with a bruised left heel, which has bothered him since last week. He's not expected to play Thursday, either, but hopes to make it back for the weekend series against the Tigers. Trevor Story is at designated hitter Wednesday, with Pablo Reyes playing shortstop.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: May sit Wednesday, Thursday
Rotowire
Boston manager Alex Cora acknowledged Turner (heel) is still feeling the effects of an injury and may not play Wednesday and Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. "Hopefully, we can get him ready for the weekend," the manager said.
Turner, who was out of the lineup Tuesday, missed four games last week after suffering a heel bruise and went 2-for-10 in three games since returning. Cora said Turner will likely avoid the injured list, but the manager wanted to give him a couple of additional days of downtime.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Out again with bruised heel
Rotowire
Turner (heel) is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Royals.
Turner has been bothered by a lingering left heel contusion since late July and will rest Tuesday and Wednesday after making three straight starts as Boston's designated hitter. The expectation remains that he will be able to avoid an IL stint.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Rejoins lineup Saturday
Rotowire
Turner (heel) is batting third as the designated hitter Saturday against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Turner hasn't seen the field since Monday while nursing a bruised left heel, but he'll return to the starting nine for Saturday's contest. The veteran slugger has a .909 OPS in 15 games since the All-Star break and will attempt to pick up where he left off prior to the injury.
