Dodgers 3B Justin Turner suffers broken wrist on HBP

Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star third baseman Justin Turner suffered a broken left wrist on a hit by pitch in the first inning of Monday's spring game against the Oakland Athletics.

Turner was struck by a pitch from A's right-hander Kendall Graveman. He trotted away from the plate after being hit and kneeled to the ground in pain before getting up and wincing as he walked off the field with a trainer. Donovan Solano came in to replace him.

X-rays revealed a small non-displaced fracture of his left wrist, and Turner will open the regular season on the disabled list.

"It didn't feel good," Turner told reporters, his wrist wrapped to minimize swelling. "Definitely not what I wanted to hear. It started to feel better getting the X-ray, and I was hoping it would come back negative. Then you get the news, it's tough."

Turner will see a local hand specialist Tuesday in order to determine a timetable for his return, but he's expected to be sidelined until at least May. The 33-year-old isn't expected to need surgery.

With Turner out, manager Dave Roberts said he might move second baseman Logan Forsythe to the hot corner and have Chase Utley and Enrique Hernandez platoon at second, with catcher Austin Barnes another option at the position. General manager Farhan Zaidi said he isn't looking to make any outside additions.

"You feel for the player and we're not as good a team without J.T., no doubt about that," said Zaidi. "The rest of the guys are going to have to do more for us to play at the same level.

"But the next thought, practically, is what it means for the team, and as far as that goes, we have some very capable guys who are going to be given a chance to seize an opportunity. We feel very confident staying in-house with this one and the hope is we're not missing him too long."

Turner was named an All-Star for the first time last season as he sported a .377 batting average in the first half. He finished the campaign at .322 with 21 home runs and 71 RBIs to place among the top 10 of the National League MVP vote for the second straight year. Turner was hit by a team-high 19 pitches last season.

In four seasons with the Dodgers, Turner has hit .303 with 71 home runs and 264 RBIs. He was off to a strong start this spring, hitting .333 with two home runs and three RBIs.

"It's baseball," said Turner. "Stuff happens. I'm going to do everything I can to get back as fast as I can. In the meantime, there's a lot of good baseball players in here, I don't think we'll miss a beat."

Turner will earn a base salary of $11 million this season in the second year of the four-year, $64 million contract he signed as a free agent to return to the team in 2016.

--Field Level Media