Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Slugger Playing Through Notable Injury For Potential Playoff Run

Boston will have to close out the year with an ailing veteran

Scott Neville

Red Sox Slugger Playing Through Notable Injury For Potential Playoff Run
Red Sox Slugger Playing Through Notable Injury For Potential Playoff Run /
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The Boston Red Sox have some notable names on the shelf right now, notably Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck. That said, there also are some players battling through injury that are on the active roster as well.

Red Sox designated hitter/utility man Justin Turner sustained an injury against the Seattle Mariners on July 31 that has since derailed his season but he has refused to go on the injured list to this point and wants to work through it. 

“It’s an interesting one,” Turner told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. “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 is hitting .284 with 42 extra-base hits including 17 home runs, 71 RBIs and a .827 OPS in 105 games this season. He's been a crucial member of the roster in all aspects. The 38-year-old has been a vocal leader in the clubhouse, a consistent offensive contributor and has filled in all over the diamond, including at second base.

The impact of Turner in the lineup is substantial but he's been limited to just three games since the injury, where he was clearly not right. His limitations also negate some of the hype regarding Trevor Story's return. One slugger in, one slugger out -- or at least hampered and limited.

Turner is hoping to get to a point in the near future where he can continue to play through the injury and is showing toughness in attempting to do so. If he can come back at a similar level of production as he was posting pre-injury, the Red Sox will greatly benefit.

Boston will need all the help they can get as they are five games back in the American League Wild Card race with the clock ticking.

More MLB: Red Sox Release Veteran Reliever Months After Trading All-Star For Him

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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