Phillies’ Injury Woes Continue as Spencer Turnbull Becomes Injury Bug’s Latest Victim
The injury bug has claimed another player from the Philadelphia Phillies’ roster, with right-hander Spencer Turnbull hitting the 15-day IL due to a right lat strain.
Turnbull, who exited Wednesday’s start after only three innings with right shoulder soreness, will likely spend at least six weeks – possibly eight – on the shelf, per Phillies manager Rob Thomson. Right-hander Yunior Marté was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley as a corresponding move.
Initially, Turnbull hoped to avoid an IL stint and make his next scheduled start on Tuesday versus the Chicago Cubs. But now, he almost certainly won’t return to a big-league mound until late August at the earliest.
The 31-year-old righty has primarily worked out of the bullpen this season, making 10 relief appearances in his first year with Philadelphia. He recently returned to the starting rotation, with Taijuan Walker placed on the IL with right index finger inflammation earlier this week.
Walker’s replacement, unfortunately, now also finds himself out of commission due to injury, leaving the Phillies with a hole to fill at the back end of their rotation once more.
Turnbull – who signed a one-year deal worth $2 million with Philadelphia last off-season following six seasons with the Detroit Tigers, who non-tendered him – returned to Comerica Park in Wednesday’s series finale. Before departing early, he allowed only one hit – a solo shot from former Phillie Matt Vierling – across 36 pitches, throwing 21 strikes.
“I just felt a little grab in the back of my tricep, shoulder area,” Turnbull told reporters post-game on Wednesday, including MLB.com’s Steve Kornacki. “After that curveball, it got a little tight on me. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious, but I wanted to tell them when I felt it. I didn’t want to do anything to make it worse.”
“And I don’t know what it is about this place here. I can’t seem to stay healthy here. I don’t know if it’s a curse or what. But, can’t seem to stay healthy here. Glad to get out of here. Hopefully, when I get back to Philly, it’ll feel better in the morning.”
Injuries have been a major concern for Turnbull, who missed all of 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and made only seven starts last season because of neck and toe ailments. This season, he owned an impressive 2.65 ERA and 3.84 FIP with 58 strikeouts over 54.1 innings in 17 games (seven starts).
Michael Mercado appears to be the leading candidate to fill the vacancy in Philadelphia’s rotation until Walker returns. The 25-year-old righty pitched an inning of relief in his major league debut Monday against Detroit and has made 10 starts at Triple-A this season, recording a 1.71 ERA.
Turnbull filled in admirably during Walker’s first IL stint in April, posting a stellar 1.67 ERA while striking out 28.3 percent of his batters faced in six starts. He also issued a 7.9 percent walk rate, with opponents hitting just .148 against him.
Without many appealing internal options, the Phillies – whose 53-28 record leads the majors – could explore the trade market for a veteran back-end starter ahead of the July 30th deadline, which arrives in just five weeks.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.