MINNEAPOLIS — The Dodgers lost two starters to injury on Monday night, but they appear to have avoided a worst-case scenario with at least one of those players. However, questions linger about the status of the other.
Right fielder Kyle Tucker left Monday’s game against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning after suffering back spasms an inning earlier. He said after the game that based on how he felt and recovered from a similar injury earlier in his career, he was confident he would avoid landing on the injured list but his immediate status would depend on how he felt when he came to the ballpark the next day.
A day later, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tucker was “feeling better” but was unavailable to play on Tuesday and would likely sit out Wednesday as well.
“I think most likely we’ll probably stay away from him this series with hopes of getting him back in the lineup on Friday [in San Diego],” Roberts said.
However, he noted that Tucker still has some boxes to check before he can return to the field.
“Ideally, he would swing the bat [Wednesday] and do some type of activity to go into the off day,” Roberts said, “but if he doesn’t, then we’ll have probably a tough decision on Friday.”
Meanwhile, catcher Dalton Rushing was scheduled to run through a second battery of concussion tests shortly before Tuesday’s game. He cleared the concussion protocol on Monday after leaving the game in the third inning when he was hit directly on the mask by a foul tip. But in order to return to the lineup, Rushing had to be cleared again 24 hours after the initial incident.
“From what I hear, he said he’s good to go,” Roberts said. “That doesn’t carry too much weight until I hear from the medical staff, but it is good to know that he said he’s good to go.”
TWINS’ CHANGE SETS UP ALL-STAR SHOWDOWN
The Dodgers were originally set to face Twins right-hander Joe Ryan on Tuesday, but Ryan was scratched due to a mild respiratory illness. Instead, he’s slated to pitch on Wednesday, when would square off against Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Ryan (5-3, 2.99 ERA), who pitched three years at Cal State Northridge, also represented Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before making his major league debut with the Twins later that summer. He made his first American League All-Star team last season, when he finished 13-10 with a 3.42 ERA and 194 strikeouts in a career-high 171 innings pitched.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 7-2, 1.47 ERA) at Twins (RHP Joe Ryan, 5-3, 2.99 ERA), Wednesday, 4:40 p.m. PT, SNLA, 570 AM