SAN FRANCISCO _ Justin Turner was absent from the Dodgers' lineup Saturday against the San Francisco Giants as he continues to deal with a back ailment. There's a chance he won't play again until the postseason.
Turner hasn't played since Tuesday. Wednesday was a scheduled day off for him, but back discomfort surfaced during batting practice and kept him from playing. Saturday was the fourth consecutive game the third baseman missed.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Turner played catch and took swings in the batting cage Friday. He was scheduled to replicate the routine Saturday. Roberts said he would like Turner to play in Sunday's regular-season finale but acknowledged there's a chance he won't. If he doesn't, Turner will have gone eight days without playing in a game before Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Thursday.
"He really understands his mechanics, and I think for him, when he feels good, he performs," Roberts said. "Tuesday, we're going to have a workout, and we'll do some simulated games and let pitchers throw to hitters. He'll be a part of that. So to take at-bats, he can do that. So, no, it's not imperative that he plays (Sunday)."
Turner, 34, has appeared in just nine games in September. A left ankle sprain kept him off the field for nearly two weeks before he returned to play in four games. The Dodgers have used different people in his place at third base. The list includes Chris Taylor, Enrique Hernandez, Matt Beaty, and Jedd Gyorko. Beaty got the start Saturday after taking groundballs pregame.
