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Dodgers put Logan Forsythe on disabled list because of broken toe

Dodgers second baseman Logan Forsythe tags out Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta during the first inning of a game at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
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The Dodgers addressed their weakness last season against left-handed pitching by acquiring second baseman Logan Forsythe and outfielder Franklin Gutierrez. Barely two weeks into the season, Forsythe and Gutierrez are on the disabled list.

Forsythe was put on the disabled list Wednesday because of a fractured big toe on his right foot, suffered when he was hit by a pitch Tuesday. Manager Dave Roberts called the fracture “a little hairline thing” and said he hopes Forsythe can return in about two weeks, as opposed to what he said was the traditional estimate of four to six weeks for a broken bone in the foot.

The Dodgers also put infielder Rob Segedin on the disabled list because of a strained toe and recalled infielder Chris Taylor and outfielder Brett Eibner from triple-A Oklahoma City.

The Dodgers put the newcomers into the lineup, Taylor at second base and Eibner in center field, in their latest attempt to foil a left-hander. The Dodgers entered play Wednesday having lost six of the eight games in which the opposing team started a left-hander.

Third baseman Justin Turner, who was hit on the hand by a pitch Tuesday, did not start Wednesday. Roberts said he expected Turner to return to the starting lineup Friday.

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In Forsythe’s absence, Roberts said, Chase Utley would start at second base, but only against right-handers.

Forsythe said he did not expect doctors to tell him he had a broken bone.

“I’ve been hit on there harder and thought it was broken,” he said. “I thought with this one I kind of got lucky. But it hit a smaller bone and we got a little bit of a crack.”

He said doctors told him the bone would not be fully healed in two weeks but would be “sticky” enough to let him play if he could tolerate the discomfort. He said he expected to play with some sort of padding or tape around the toe.

The Dodgers, who set a major league record by putting 28 players on the disabled list last season, already have put 11 players on the DL this season. They will have used 15 lineups in their 16 games, extreme even by the standards of a front office that excels at roster manipulation.

“We need to start to get going as a team and get some things solidified,” Forsythe said, “especially a lineup.”

USC Night

Roberts, a UCLA alumnus, playfully cut off a reporter asking about Wednesday’s USC Night at Dodger Stadium.

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“Next question!” Roberts said.

He was joking. He said the Dodgers welcome all fans, wherever they might have gone to school.

“But you won’t be seeing a ‘Fight on’ thing from me,” Roberts said.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com

Follow Bill Shaikin on Twitter @BillShaikin

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