Justin Turner

Dodgers' Justin Turner's staph infection 'not a joking matter'

Published Aug. 13, 2015 5:23 a.m. ET

foxsports

Until Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers had generally described the ailment that had been keeping third baseman Justin Turner sidelined as an infection on his leg, but it turns out it was no ordinary innocuous infection.

Speaking with reporters for the first time since being placed on the disabled list, Turner revealed that he was diagnosed with a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, a strain of staph infection that is resistant to many antibiotics.

"It was scary. It's not a joking matter," said Turner, whose infection began as an ingrown hair that became inflamed when he scratched it. "I didn't think it was that bad until I came in after the off-day and [trainer] Stan [Conte] told me I had to get to the emergency room. A couple days later, I was told it was MRSA. That's a pretty scary situation and they got me on all kinds of medicine to get rid of it."

Turner, who hasn't played for the Dodgers since July 26, has been cleared to work out, but has been instructed not to get sweat in the infected area, which is on his right leg.

That restriction forced him to take constant breaks and have his wound redressed by trainers as he worked out at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday as prepares for his return to the team.

"It turned a workout that probably would have taken an hour to three and a half hours," Turner said.

The 30-year-old third baseman, who is hitting .323/.387/.563 with 13 home runs and 44 RBI in 87 games this season, is expected to return to the Dodgers later this week.

(h/t ESPN)

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Justin Turner

Los Angeles Dodgers

Major League Baseball