TORONTO -- The Blue Jays’ rotation depth needs a savior, but that’s not realistic. For now, options will do.
This is where Spencer Turnbull comes in, signed on May 5 alongside José Ureña -- both on big league deals -- to help a rotation that is already being stretched thin without Max Scherzer (right thumb inflammation). Ureña and Eric Lauer are standing just inside that revolving door for now, but Turnbull is coming over the horizon with some upside.
Lauer will be part of the Blue Jays’ pitching plans Saturday, whether as a starter or bulk reliever, but even their healthy rotation members have run into their challenges, most notably Bowden Francis, who has allowed a Major League-leading 14 home runs and saw his ERA grow to 5.63 in Friday’s 5-4 loss.
The 32-year-old is essentially going through his own version of Spring Training right now, taking a big step Thursday when he pitched four innings of one-run ball for the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays. Turnbull struck out four hitters and his fastball sat just above 90 mph, a number he’ll need to see climb a bit as he ramps up, but all of the initial signs were positive for this stage.
“All went according to plan and he felt good,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “He got his pitches in, and he’s going to do one more in Florida, then go from there.”
Turnbull threw 54 pitches (36 strikes) in Thursday’s outing, and Schneider says the Blue Jays are building him up to a "normal starter’s workload," so like any other starter in Spring Training, that means landing in the 80- to 90-pitch range by the end of this. After another start in Single-A, the club is still deciding whether Turnbull will head to Double-A New Hampshire or Triple-A Buffalo. But as long as his pitches look crisp by that point, he should be an option for the big league club within the next few weeks.
Given that Scherzer is still playing catch after a recent twinge of mid-back tightness slowed his schedule of facing live hitters, any help is welcome.
A year ago, Turnbull was with the Phillies on a one-year, $2 million deal when a right finger injury to Taijuan Walker thrust him into the rotation to start the season. He thrived in that role, giving Philadelphia a 1.67 ERA over six starts in April, but he was the odd man out and eventually moved to a bullpen role. Turnbull’s season ended with a right lat strain in late June, though, and injuries have been an issue for the talented right-hander.
Turnbull missed much of 2021 and all of ‘22 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, then missed a chunk of ‘23 with a neck injury. That explains why he was available this May, but still, it caught Schneider and many within the organization as a pleasant surprise.
“I don’t know. The only thing I can think of, based on the results he had, would be the injury history and risk,” Schneider said. “I know there were all sorts of predictions of him getting a two-year deal. That happens to certain guys. It’s kind of weird, though.”
The eventual answer to the Blue Jays’ rotation depth won’t come in the form of one pitcher. It’s rarely that simple. It looked like Easton Lucas would be that savior at one point, but then it fell apart for the lefty in his next two outings. Paxton Schultz and Casey Lawrence have gotten cracks at it. Lauer and Ureña are the bulk guys currently, but as this list shows, that position is always a day away from change.
A perfect outcome here for Turnbull and the Blue Jays would see him big league ready within the next few weeks, offering them either a starting option or a bulk reliever option. The lines between those roles have blurred, anyway, and it’s gotten to the point where quantity might be Toronto’s likeliest approach to this.
Eventually, Alek Manoah could return from his own Tommy John rehab to help the Blue Jays down the stretch, similar to how Hyun Jin Ryu did in late 2023. Eventually, Scherzer could be back on the mound, too, but this season has already been another lesson in the value of pitching depth like Turnbull.