Chris Taylor out of lineup, dealing with neck injury

Chris Taylor is not in the lineup for the Dodgers, as he’s dealing with sort of a neck injury. When speaking with reporters this afternoon, manager Dave Roberts said Taylor has been dealing with this for some time and his catch at the wall last night triggered it more.

Last night following the game Roberts said this shouldn’t be something that requires an IL stint.

With Taylor out, Cody Bellinger takes his place in the lineup. On Friday, Roberts said Bellinger would be sitting for a few days, but the injury to Taylor has made Roberts pivot to Bellinger.

The Dodgers are giving the struggling Bellinger as many chances as possible, as the former MVP doesn’t have a hit so far in September.

“When any player struggles, the mental part bleeds in and theres a chasing component to numbers and wanting to carry your own weight,” Roberts said. “My message to him is that every day is a new day, try to help us win a ballgame.”

Roberts said he’s been proud of how Bellinger hasn’t wavered in his defense attentiveness. He also added that Bellinger has continued to be an amazing teammate in the clubhouse.

“There’s a lot of frustration, but he’s handled it glowingly.” Roberts said.

AJ Pollock update

AJ Pollock has missed the last week with a hamstring injury. The hope was for him to return before the season ended. Roberts said that Pollock had a good day today and was getting work done in the weight room.

The plan was for Pollock to take swings today in the cage. Roberts said that he’s optimistic Pollock can return sooner than anticipated.