Justin Turner rose to relative fame wearing the No. 10 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but when he takes the field for the Red Sox, he’ll do so wearing a recognizable number to Boston fans.
Turner will wear the No. 2 for the Red Sox, returning to the digit he wore during his New York Mets days. The new Red Sox third baseman/designated hitter on Thursday revealed he always wanted to wear No. 2 for the Dodgers, but longtime manager and face of the franchise, Tommy Lasorda, apparently wanted to keep the number for his occasional ceremonial appearance with the club (it doesn’t look like there were any hard feelings, to say the least).
Now, as he comes to Boston, the No. 2 previously worn by Xander Bogaerts is open. Of course, the number is also strongly connected to beloved former Red Sox infielder and NESN analyst Jerry Remy. Turner told reporters on Thursday he hopes he can do right by the late Remy with his jersey number.
As for actual baseball, Turner arrived early to camp Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how he fits in the 2023 plans for the Red Sox, who already have an All-Star third baseman in Rafael Devers. Turner will certainly get some at-bats at designated hitter, but first base looks like it’s on the radar, too. He wasted no time getting some reps across the diamond, taking ground balls during workouts Wednesday.
