Midfielder Dodgers Chris Taylor was diagnosed with a fracture of his left foot, he told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). He will likely be included on the injury list tomorrow; The timetable for his return is still unclear.
Taylor departed the competition last night against the Rockies in the sixth inning. The club called the problem ankle swelling at the time, but he went for a CT scan this afternoon. The examination revealed the presence of a fracture, an injury that was likely to cost him a decent amount of time. Los Angeles will no doubt provide more details on Taylor’s specific diagnosis and outlook for recovery over the next few days.
Resigned to a four-year contract after a break, Taylor once again took on a key role for manager Dave Roberts. He has started 56 of the club’s 79 games on the left court, in addition to seven nods in the center and right. Long noted for his versatile defensive ability, Taylor has played entirely off the field this season but has certainly retained the ability to step onto the pitch should the club need it.
It’s not a classic throwback for Taylor, who owns the .238 / .319 / .409 series through 285 number plate appearances. He’s still walking at a strong pace and has collected 19 doubles, but he’s beaten with a high personal rate of 35.4%. However, Taylor’s above-average five-year criminal record provides reason to believe he’s coming back from a bad June.
It was the second off-court corner injury in recent weeks that LA had to navigate. Mookie Betting Missed time broke a small rib, came back at the end of the week. While Roberts suggested Betts can break in again as a second player to ease his throwing responsibility, he has been sent on to the right side of the field in two of three games since being rehabilitated. Dodgers handle Trayce Thompson to the platoon with Eddy Alvarez once Betts goes down; the club was chosen from there Jake Lamb (who will start in the left area tonight) and chose Alvarez not to join, but they think they will move to another platoon layout to handle the left area in the short term.
Depending on Taylor’s recovery outlook, it’s possible the Dodgers could look to the commercial market for a more impactful sale than Thompson. Ian Happ, Anthony Santander and Andrew Benintendi are among the more frequent, high-impact outsiders who will likely be available in the coming weeks. There is also the ability to promote leads to help fill the void. Michael Vargas, for example, is playing very well against Triple-A Oklahoma City and is seen as a potential alternative when Betts is injured. Vargas, a commercial fisherman, made a minor start on the left court recently but otherwise has played exclusively on the court as a professional.