It didn’t seem like the Chicago Cubs were going to use the veteran, which is seemingly why 32-year-old pitcher Spencer Turnbull has left the organization. The right-hander signed a minor league deal with the Cubs back in July, and after seven starts with the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A, Turnbull is off to find another opportunity.
Turnbull didn’t sign with a team until early May, when the Toronto Blue Jays scooped him up off the street. He only pitched in three games with the Blue Jays before they waived goodbye. In seven games at Triple-A Iowa Turnbull allowed 27 earned runs in 28.2 innings, an 8.48 ERA.
Even with the recent setback to Jameson Taillon the Cubs do have depth in the rotation with Javier Assad filling in once again for an injured starter.
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The Chicago Cubs have signed veteran pitcher Spencer Turnbull to a minor league deal. The 32-year-old pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this season, but was released at the end of June after he made three appearances with the AL East division leaders.
Turnbull, who was a free agent after the 2024 season, went unsigned all offseason despite a good year with the Philadelphia Phillies. Turnbull recorded a 2.65 ERA in 54.1 innings last year, pitching in 17 games. However, the right-hander did suffer a massive setback, missing the final few months of the season because of a lat strain.
According to the Cubs’ transactions page, the team signed Turnbull on July 12.
The Blue Jays signed Turnbull back in May and sent him to Triple-A to ramp up. He made his season debut on June 11, against the St. Louis Cardinals and tossed two scoreless innings. Turnbull faced his ex-team in the Phillies his next time out and gave up one run in 2.1 innings before making his final appearance with the Blue Jays against the White Sox on June 20. The righty allowed four runs on five hits and two walks, going only two innings after throwing 45 pitches.
Turnbull came up with the Detroit Tigers, making his MLB debut at the end of the 2018 season. In his first full season in the majors Turnbull posted a 4.61 ERA in 30 starts and then he made 11 starts in the shortened 2020 season. Unfortunately, Turnbull underwent Tommy John surgery in the middle of the 2021 season, which subsequently sidelined him for the entire 2022 season as well.
The timing was awful for Turnbull, who had a 2.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in nine starts before he went down with the elbow injury. Turnbull’s 2021 season included a no-hitter on May 18.
Turnbull returned from Tommy John surgery in 2023, but only made seven starts before he went down with a neck injury and was then sent to Triple-A for the final five weeks of the regular season once he was healthy. The Tigers let him go and Turnbull rebounded with the Phillies in 2024.
Out of the 17 appearances with the Phillies last season seven were starts and Turnbull was excellent in those outings. He posted a 1.78 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 35.1 innings.
Overall in his career Turnbull has a 4.31 ERA in 81 MLB games.
The Cubs currently have Colin Rea and Chris Flexen in the rotation, filling in for Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon. Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks are in Triple-A as additional depth, while Javier Assad is also expected to return from his oblique injury in August. Now, Turnbull will be added to the mix as the Cubs also explore bigger targets via the trade market in hopes of giving the starting rotation a boost down the stretch.
