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Chris Taylor remains out of the Dodgers lineup for a sixth straight game. He sits, at least to start Friday night against the Reds in Cincinnati, one week after playing in his last game.
Taylor missed the last five games while dealing with neck soreness. The Dodgers pondered placing Taylor on the injured list, but he improved to the point of taking batting practice and pregame drills on Wednesday, though he did not play in that night’s game.
Dodgers-Reds lineups
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Reds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Reds |
| RF | Betts | 2B | India |
| 1B | Muncy (L) | CF | Winker (L) |
| 2B | Turner | RF | Castellanos |
| SS | Seager (L) | 1B | Votto (L) |
| 3B | Turner | 3B | Moustakas (L) |
| C | Smith | SS | Farmer |
| CF | Bellinger (L) | C | Barnhart (L) |
| LF | Beaty (L) | LF | Shrock (L) |
| P | Buehler | P | Castillo |
“Just know that he’s available off the bench and is trending in the right way, it made a lot of sense to forego the IL,” manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday.
Taylor is available off the bench on Friday, per Roberts.
In Cincinnati, Taylor told Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times the plan is for him to start Saturday.
Taylor’s started games at six different positions this season, and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. He’s hitting .258/.346/.450, a 118 wRC+ with 20 home runs and 24 doubles. He’s slumped of late, hitting .187/.261/.309 since the beginning of August, including just three hits in his last 45 at-bats.
Gavin Lux starts his seventh straight game in left field, 7-for-17 (.412/.524/.471) since getting recalled from Triple-A.
This is the first time the Dodgers have had the same eight starting position players in the same order for three straight games this season.
Reds roster move
Outfielder Jesse Winker was activated off the injured list Friday after missing more than a month with an intercostal strain. Winker, a starting outfielder for the National League All-Star team this season, is hitting .307/.395/.560, a 152 wRC+ with 32 doubles and 24 home runs. Winker bats second, playing center field for Cincinnati.
Tyler Naquin was placed on the 10-day injured list with bruised ribs.