Baseball Insiders: Braves rotation battle, Cubs third base choice, Justin Turner injury and more

Injury updates: How is Justin Turner after scary hit-by-pitch, Andrew Painter update and more

Justin Turner left the Boston Red Sox Grapefruit League game earlier this week after being hit in the face by a pitch. It appears as though Turner will be back on the field soon and did not suffer any long-lasting damage, nor will he miss significant time.

Turner’s absence will, however, offer Bobby Dalbec the opportunity to showcase his talent. Dalbec has essentially lost his spot at first base to Triston Casas, but the University of Arizona product has put up fine numbers this spring with a slugging percentage north of .700.

Robert also went out on a limb during the Baseball Insiders Podcast and named Raimel Tapia as an under-the-radar player who could shine during Justin Turner’s absence. Tapia signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox earlier this year. While bringing in a free agent to offset the loss is on the table, expect an internal promotion to be more likely.

Andrew Painter was another big name that showed up on the injury report this past week after suffering elbow soreness. Painter had some extensive testing late last week and it appears as though there are no long-term concerns for the Philadelphia Phillies’ top pitching prospect.

While the Phillies have been rather nebulous about the entire injury, the one thing that has come out of this entire situation is the fact that Painter is no longer in the running for the fifth spot in the Philadelphia rotation.