Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner is reinstated from disabled list

Third baseman Justin Turner was reinstated from the disabled list Thursday, but wasn’t in the starting lineup for the opening game of the Dodgers’ four-game home series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Entering the game to a warm applause in the top of the fifth inning as part of a defensive double switch, Turner singled to right field in the bottom of the inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez.

The Dodgers opened a place on their active roster for Turner by optioning rookie infielder Jose Peraza to triple-A Oklahoma City.

Turner had been sidelined since July 27 with a MRSA infection on his right thigh.

Manager Don Mattingly said he didn’t start Turner because he worked out early in the afternoon.

But Mattingly said Turner will start Friday, after which his role will be the same as it was before he landed on the disabled list. When Turner was injured, he was starting the overwhelming majority of games and batting in the middle of the order.

“Nobody said anything to me about easing him back in,” Mattingly said.

With Turner on the bench, Alberto Callaspo started at third base again. Callaspo started the majority of games there while Turner was out.

Grandal sits

A.J. Ellis made a rare start behind the plate, as primary catcher Yasmani Grandal was resting a sore left shoulder.

The shoulder is Grandal’s non-throwing shoulder, but Mattingly said, “We just don’t want it to get to the point where it affects his swing.”

Grandal, who ranks third on the Dodgers with 15 home runs, had a shoulder problem in April that he said contributed to an early season slump.

Mattingly was uncertain of Grandal’s status for the coming days.

On Friday and Saturday, the Dodgers are facing left-handed starting pitchers, against whom Ellis typically starts.

Greinke lowers ERA

Without delivering a pitch, Zack Greinke lowered his major league-leading earned-run average.

A scoring change from Greinke’s Aug. 6 start in Philadelphia reduced his earned-run total in that game from six to five. That resulted in Greinke’s ERA dropping from 1.65 to 1.59.

Greinke allowed five runs in the first inning of that game. The inning started with an at-bat in which Cesar Hernandez was orignially credited with a bunt single before advancing to second base on a throwing error by Greinke. Because of the scoring change, Hernandez’s hit was erased and Greinke was charged with a two-base error.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

Twitter: @dylanohernandez