Justin Turner returns to Red Sox lineup two weeks after being beaned in face

The Red Sox kick off their 2023 regular season at home against the Baltimore Orioles on March 30, presumably putting Turner in line to start Opening Day. Turner is expected to be the team's primary designated hitter, bat somewhere in the middle of the lineup and see some starts at first and third base as well.

In the first inning of Boston's spring training game against the Tigers on March 6, Turner took a Matt Manning fastball to the face, sending him to the ground and resulting in blood pouring out in a scary scene. The next day, the two-time All-Star took to Twitter to update fans on his condition, noting that he came away from the situation with "no breaks" and all of his "chiclets intact."

It was reported last week that Turner was progressing well and had a chance to suit up today.

The 38-year-old signed with the Red Sox in January after spending the last nine seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Turner had 13 home runs, 81 RBIs and a career-high 38 doubles in 2022 while recording a .278/.350/.438 slash line in 468 at-bats over 128 regular season games.