Rob Thomson denies report Spencer Turnbull will remain in Phillies rotation
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The report Spencer Turnbull will remain in the Philadelphia Phillies rotation is on hold, for now.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson denied the report Turnbull will remain in the rotation following his start Tuesday, emphasizing he hasn't decided on the rotation past this weekend's wraparound series with the San Francisco Giants.
"Yeah, I'm not sure who put that report out," Thomson said Friday before the series opener with the Giants at Citizens Bank Park. "They are not accurate."
Turnbull has been one of baseball's best starters since starting the season in the rotation in place of Taijuan Walker, having a 1.67 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 10 walks in six starts. He's fifth in the National League in ERA, third in WHIP (0.84), and second in batting average against (.148).
So why the decision to remove Turnbull from the rotation? The Phillies are paying Walker $18 million a season to be a starter and Walker is back from the injured list after missing the majority of the first month of the year with right shoulder soreness. Turnbull has also thrown a combined 63.1 innings over the last three seasons and has already thrown 32.1 innings this season (1.1 more innings than he threw in 2023).
Walker has made a start since he's returned, but the Phillies went with a six-man rotation this week with Turnbull to break up the consecutive lefties of Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez and to give the starters an extra day of rest.
That decision on whether Turnbull or Walker moves to the bullpen will come Saturday. Or something different entirely.
"It makes for a very, very difficult decision," Thomson said. "As difficult of a decision as I had to make really...We try to put guys in the right spots that can be successful and the same thing with this. You never know how a guy is gonna react, whether they're a starter or in the bullpen."
"So we'll just have to wait and see how it goes," he said.
Whatever the Phillies decide, there won't be a quick hook on the pitcher they keep in the rotation. Turnbull or Walker will get an ample shot of starts to stick around.
"We'll just have to wait and see and play it out," Thomson said. "Figure out what I'm looking at."
The decision on Turnbull and Walker is coming, but Turnbull made this decision much harder than what would have been the call once spring training began. Based on performance, Turnbull will be an asset to the pitching staff no matter where the Phillies have him going forward.
