Veteran right-hander Spencer Turnbull made his organizational debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, tossing four innings of one-run ball in his first start at single-A Dunedin. 
Turnbull allowed a lone run on three hits and a pair of walks while recording four strikeouts, inducing seven whiffs on 28 swings. The 32-year-old righty needed 54 pitches to get through his first professional outing since last June, landing 36 of those for strikes.
The 6-foot-3 hurler surrendered a leadoff single and double to begin the contest &#8212; scoring the only run against him &#8212; but quickly settled in after that, retiring 10 of his next 11 batters faced.
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Spencer Turnbull picks up his first strikeout as a member of the Blue Jays organization! <a href="https://t.co/J3SYIPpbGn">pic.twitter.com/J3SYIPpbGn</a>
&mdash; Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/DunedinBlueJays/status/1923146910082253133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Turnbull&#8217;s velocity was down considerably across the board, with his sinker averaging just 90.6 m.p.h. (92.5 max), down nearly three full ticks from last season&#8217;s average of 93.2. His slider, which served as his primary pitch, also dropped from the mid-80s into the low-80s.
The longtime Detroit Tigers starter agreed to a one-year deal worth $1 million with the Blue Jays earlier this month after remaining unsigned following spring training. He can opt out of the contract after 30 days if he isn&#8217;t promoted to the majors by then.
Injuries have proven incredibly frustrating for Turnbull over the last several years. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, ending his season after only nine starts, and missed the entire &#8217;22 campaign. His return to the mound was cut short the following year after seven starts due to a neck fracture and torn ligaments in his vertebrae. Last season, after signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, he made 17 appearances (seven starts) but missed the final three months with a lat strain.
Prior to landing on the IL, Turnbull delivered some of the best results of his major league career, pitching to a career-best 2.65 ERA with a 3.85 FIP while posting a career-high 26.1-per-cent strikeout rate over 54.1 innings. Before moving to the bullpen last May, he earned an impressive 1.67 ERA and 3.26 FIP across six starts, issuing 36 strikeouts and 10 walks in 32.1 innings.
The Blue Jays have been scrambling to locate a viable injury replacement for Max Scherzer, who remains without a timeline to return from his right thumb injury. While Turnbull is in the early stages of his build-up, the plan is for him to eventually become part of the club&#8217;s depleted starting pitching depth, especially with Jake Bloss now headed for UCL surgery.

Veteran right-hander Spencer Turnbull made his organizational debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, tossing four innings of one-run ball in his first start at single-A Dunedin. 

Turnbull allowed a lone run on three hits and a pair of walks while recording four strikeouts, inducing seven whiffs on 28 swings. The 32-year-old righty needed 54 pitches to get through his first professional outing since last June, landing 36 of those for strikes.

The 6-foot-3 hurler surrendered a leadoff single and double to begin the contest -- scoring the only run against him -- but quickly settled in after that, retiring 10 of his next 11 batters faced.

https://twitter.com/DunedinBlueJays/status/1923146910082253133

Turnbull's velocity was down considerably across the board, with his sinker averaging just 90.6 m.p.h. (92.5 max), down nearly three full ticks from last season's average of 93.2. His slider, which served as his primary pitch, also dropped from the mid-80s into the low-80s.

The longtime Detroit Tigers starter agreed to a one-year deal worth $1 million with the Blue Jays earlier this month after remaining unsigned following spring training. He can opt out of the contract after 30 days if he isn't promoted to the majors by then.

Injuries have proven incredibly frustrating for Turnbull over the last several years. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, ending his season after only nine starts, and missed the entire '22 campaign. His return to the mound was cut short the following year after seven starts due to a neck fracture and torn ligaments in his vertebrae. Last season, after signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, he made 17 appearances (seven starts) but missed the final three months with a lat strain.

Prior to landing on the IL, Turnbull delivered some of the best results of his major league career, pitching to a career-best 2.65 ERA with a 3.85 FIP while posting a career-high 26.1-per-cent strikeout rate over 54.1 innings. Before moving to the bullpen last May, he earned an impressive 1.67 ERA and 3.26 FIP across six starts, issuing 36 strikeouts and 10 walks in 32.1 innings.

The Blue Jays have been scrambling to locate a viable injury replacement for Max Scherzer, who remains without a timeline to return from his right thumb injury. While Turnbull is in the early stages of his build-up, the plan is for him to eventually become part of the club's depleted starting pitching depth, especially with Jake Bloss now headed for UCL surgery.

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