Justin Turner scared himself, his family, the Boston Red Sox organization and its fans last week when the veteran infielder took a fastball to the face during a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers.
Turner, though, has continued to recover from the scary scene over the last six days. He spoke to reporters Sunday for the first time since the incident and offered an update everyone will appreciate.
“I got pretty lucky, all things considered,” Turner told reporters in Fort Meyers, per NESN. “Every day I’ve been getting a little bit better. I actually got the last of the stitches out, removed (Sunday). And starting to do some baseball activities, so that’s encouraging.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora continues to be hopeful that Turner, who received 16 stitches after he was bloodied at the plate, could still find his way into Boston’s Opening Day lineup.
Turner did not suffer any facial fractures or lose any teeth, but it nevertheless was a terrifying moment for the first-year Red Sox player.
“Yeah, you just don’t know what really is go,” Turner said. “Everything was pretty numb in the moment. I knew I was bleeding, I had no idea where I was bleeding from. Couldn’t feel my teeth really so didn’t know if they were all there. And just want to get past the heat wave that you get and the feeling that you think you’re going to pass out.
“Once I was able to get to the room, lay down, get hooked up to some IVs and stuff, calm down, it’s been actually pretty smooth sailing from there, knock on wood.”
The fact Turner already is back in Fort Meyers with the team is a notable development and one he clearly hopes to continue to improve on.
