logo
Blue Jays need someone to grab hold of fifth starter’s spot as Spencer Turnbull’s woes continue
alt
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Thomas Hall
Jun 21, 2025, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 30, 2025, 06:15 EDT
Comments
Things just haven’t come together for Spencer Turnbull.
When the Toronto Blue Jays signed Turnbull to a one-year deal in early May, they hoped he’d eventually help fill Max Scherzer’s vacated rotation spot, which now belongs to Eric Lauer — for now, at least. On Friday, with Bowden Francis on the IL and unlikely to return for some time after receiving a cortisone injection in his shoulder, the club turned to Turnbull for his first start since joining the big-league club.
But he certainly didn’t run with the opportunity like the team hoped he would.
Turnbull, who had previously made a pair of relief appearances since being called up from triple-A Buffalo, was chased by the irrelevant Chicago White Sox after two-plus innings of work. Before he departed, the veteran right-hander surrendered four runs (all earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out as many on 45 pitches (24 strikes).
Among the biggest issues was his command of the strike zone, both inside and outside of it. There were plenty of misses from the struggling righty. One of them was made to Andrew Benintendi, a blast-from-the-past who homered on a first pitch, middle-middle 89.4 m.p.h. four-seamer in the first inning. And his outing continued to spiral from there.
The Blue Jays, of course, were expecting more out of Turnbull against the White Sox. Instead, they’re now left with more questions than answers regarding Francis’s vacated rotation spot, which will come around again in Cleveland on Thursday.
Given how Eric Lauer has fared over his last two starts, the results would suggest he deserves another opportunity to remain in the rotation with a matchup against the Guardians. But there’s also Max Scherzer’s return looming in the air. He’s scheduled to throw a bullpen session in Toronto on Saturday, and if all goes well, chances are he’ll pitch one of the three games in Cleveland.
So, where does that leave Turnbull? In all likelihood, a return to the bullpen is probably in order. But what happens from there is all up to him.
“You’re in the business of winning games every single night. So, it’s up to him to dictate what we’re going to do,” John Schneider said of Turnbull’s role moving forward. “If the stuff was a little bit sharper — out of the middle [of the strike zone] a little bit and not walking guys — I think that you give him a little bit of a [longer] leash.”
In Turnbull’s defence, he has endured a “tough build-up” since signing with the team. He underwent an accelerated spring training spread across five minor-league starts before arriving in the majors with the Blue Jays. As we’ve seen in previous seasons, that’s a difficult spot for any starting pitcher.
It’s certainly had an impact on his fastball velocity, which, despite ticking up in his previous outing, returned to the low-90s and high-80s versus the White Sox. And when you’re also struggling to locate your heater, it’s a dangerous spot to be in.
“I was off tonight,” Turnbull said of Friday’s performance in the 7-1 loss. “I was going back and forth from being in the bullpen and back to a starting routine today. It’s not the easiest thing, but it’s also not an excuse. I was terrible tonight. I got to be better than that. There’s no excuse for it.
“Physically, I feel fine. I was just a little off mechanically. Just fighting myself a little bit.”
A byproduct of Turnbull’s short outing was that the Blue Jays had to use six relievers as part of Friday’s bullpen game, adding extra importance to José Berríos and Chris Bassitt’s starts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both will be needed to pitch deep to give the bullpen a much-needed breather.
As for this spot in the rotation, with Francis sidelined indefinitely, they desperately need some to grab hold and run with it. The best-case scenario is that it ends up being Scherzer. Alternatively, it’s worth noting that prospect Adam Macko — who fired four innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts for triple-A Buffalo on Friday — continues to pitch on schedule with this hole in the staff.
Macko, who missed all of spring training due to a torn meniscus, likely isn’t ready to come up to the majors and provide relief just yet. But now that he has three starts under his belt with the Bisons, he may not be far away.
Another thing that isn’t too far off in the distance is the July 31 trade deadline. With the Blue Jays trending towards becoming buyers, that date should provide the perfect opportunity to add an impact starter. If they’re aiming high, someone like Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta would fit in very nicely. Even on the lower end, picking up a middle-of-the-rotation arm such as Texas’ Tyler Mahle would make sense, too, or even the resurgent Patrick Corbin.
Making a trade now, especially for the likes of those, would come at a premium, though. That means this team must find a way to bridge that gap between now and then, which stands to be easier said than done.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News