Blue Jays announce they have returned to right-handed Max Shezer From the list of injured 60 days. Correct Spencer Turnbull Has been assigned as the corresponding action. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith is through it.
Turnbull, 32, was a well-known free agent during the offseason. He played well with the Phillies last year, with his average running average of 2.65 in the 54 1/3 innings swing role. His 26.1% strikeout rate and 47.5% ground ball rate are above average and his walking rate is 9%. Phils limited his workload to his job between rotation and bullpen, and the labor pressure that put him into IL for most of the second half.
Despite solid numbers, he still hasn’t signed it. The Blue Jays lost to Illinois’ Sherze at the beginning Easton Lucas,,,,, José Ureña,,,,, Paxton Schultz and Eric Lauer.
They signed Turnbull in early May, technically he paid $1,265,306, but since it’s already in the book this season, it’s priced at 1mm. Since he missed all of his spring training, he agreed to be selected by the minor, despite the 35-day limit before he needed to call.
In that optional mission, it seemed difficult for him to speed up his own speed. Despite last year’s 92 mph, his four catch fastball averaged less than 90 mph, 93-94 mph in his previous major league season. Anyway, Jays called him in mid-June with the 35-day windows closed.
His first two outings were gratifying and reasonable enough. He started with two closed-door frames against the Cardinals on June 11 and then took a run in a 2 1/3 innings against the Phillies on the 15th, averaging 91 miles per hour on those outings. On Friday, Jays gave him a starting point to talk to the White Sox, which was not going well. His four-person shoes averaged 90.3 miles per hour as he allowed four runs in two innings. Now he has a 7.11 ERA on a small portion of his work this year, with his strikeout and walking rate of 12.1%, which is below the bar in both cases.
Although Turnbull has been trying to get into good grooves, other pitchers outperform him. Lauer signed with a minor league contract in the offseason, and this year Jays has a 2.21 ERA in 40 2/3 innings. There must be some luck there, but his 25.5% strikeout rate is high and his walking rate is average at 8.7%. Jays could have kicked Turnbull into a long-term relief role, but Schultz had an ERA of 3.80, strikeout rate of 27.7%, walking rate of 7.4% and 41.7% ground ball rate. He also has options, which means Jays has some freedom to put him on a triple A when they want a new arm.
With Scherzer’s return, he will join Kevin Gausman,,,,, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt In rotation. Bowden Francis Landed at Illinois State University about a week ago due to a shoulder impact, but Raul seemed to have occupied that place.
Put all of this together and then put the Turnbull head into the DFA Limbo, which can last for a week. The exemption process takes 48 hours, meaning Jays can take up to five days to explore trade interests. Given his salary so far this year, the team may wait for him to enter the open market. He has plenty of service hours to refuse direct tasks and elect free agents while keeping his salary stable. Jays might skip the form and just release him.
If this is passed, the team will be able to sign him to pay his minimum wage only for any time he spends on the roster, and Toronto’s promise minus that amount. Given Turnbull’s past work, this may be an appeal for some clubs. As mentioned earlier, his recent results are comparable to last year. From 2019 to 2021, his Tigers scored a 4.13 ERA in 255 innings with a strikeout rate of 21.9%, a 9.1% walk rate and a 50.3% ground ball rate in 255 innings. He missed recovering from Tommy John’s surgery in 2022 and struggled in 2023, but rebounded last year with Phils. His 2025 is not amazing so far, but it also follows an unusual trajectory.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, image
