Dodgers notes: Dave Roberts, Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw, Cody Bellinger

Playing catch-up with some Dodgers interviews from the past week, here are a few clips.

First up was manager Dave Roberts on Good Day LA on the local Fox affiliate in Los Angeles on Monday morning. He was asked about Justin Turner celebrating on the field, in a crowd, after testing positive for COVID-19.

“We all know what Justin means to the Dodgers, the city, what he and his wife have done for charity, and things that we haven’t even heard about. He never wants to make anything about himself, and unfortunately this situation has been about him,” Roberts said. “I just pray that no one is contracted by this virus, and we can move forward and enjoy this celebration that has taken 32 years to get for the city of Los Angeles.”

Roberts also said he, as a cancer survivor, did not feel any extra risk during the postgame because he had been around Turner so much “in the bubble” to that point already. Roberts mentioned that he has tested negative twice since the World Series ended, and that the whole team is on 14-day quarantine at their respective homes.

Blake Treinen on Monday was a guest on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio channel with host Patrick Meagher, and reiterated what was clear from the postgame scene after Game 6, that the Dodgers as a team fully supported Turner’s decision.

Treinen questioned MLB, which chastised Turner in a statement last Wednesday.

“We all have JT’s back, and I think the general public isn’t really given a lot of the truth involved in that and it’s really unfair what’s happened to him,” Treinen said. “Without going into details, I feel like MLB really needs to be supporting him more than they are smearing him the way they did. That guy’s given ten years to the league. he’s been a phenomenal ambassador for the game. He asked if he could get on the field and people escorted him out there. It’s not like her ran out there like they’re saying it.”

Clayton Kershaw was a guest Monday on the Ellen Show, during which he recounted his emotions in winning the World Series and the few days since he got home. When asked by Ellen Degeneres if Kershaw saw himself being a Dodger “forever,” he said, “I hope so. I don’t know what it holds, and I’ll be there next year for sure. I hope so.”

Kershaw is under contract through 2021.

Links

• Kershaw and friends stopping Manuel Margot from stealing home in Game 5 of the World Series changed everything, writes Daniel Brim at Dodgers Digest.
• Cole Percival, the UC Riverside pitcher and son of Troy, the longtime Angels closer, is an Angels fan, naturally, but they showed no interest in signing the undrafted free agent. The younger Percival signed with the Dodgers in September, and told Maria Torres at the Los Angeles Times, “Everything they had to say and everything that they have to offer, I just think it was very hard for any other org to match it.”
• Cody Bellinger is a character in the new Assassin’s Creed video game. He talked about that, and more, with Sam Alipour at ESPN.
• Major league teams should invest in a director of sleep, with the subsequent budget and plan to get their players the proper rest they need to thrive, writes Russell Carleton at Baseball Prospectus.