Sunday will mark the 14th game Turner has missed while on the disabled list.
LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers infielder Justin Turner will begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment on Sunday with Class-A Rancho Cuamonga, in hopes of returning from a hamstring injury as the Dodgers open their post-All-Star break schedule on Friday against the Cardinals.
Turner was back at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, running and playing catch on the field before the Dodgers' game against the Padres. He spent his previous nine days rehabbing at the Dodgers facility at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
He will be the designated hitter for the Quakes on Sunday when they host Lancaster at 5:05 p.m. PT.
Turner strained his left hamstring on June 28 while running out an RBI double against the Cardinals. He was placed on the disabled list the next day, a tough blow as Turner was one of the hottest hitters on the team, hitting .400 (22-for-55) in June with 11 RBI in 21 games.
"He's doing really well. He ran today. We'll see how it goes with him," manager Don Mattingly said. "If we had a wish list, he'd be ready for St. Louis."
Turner will be joined on Monday in Rancho Cuamonga by pitcher Scott Elbert, who will continue his rehab assignment with another relief appearance with the Quakes. Mattingly said Elbert has progressed nicely but that there was no set timetable for his return to the Dodgers just yet.
Per the collective bargaining agreement, minor league rehab assignments can last up to 30 days, but Elbert's rehab assignment clock was reset after he suffered a toe injury that kept him out of action for a week before Friday's inning with the Quakes.