PHILADELPHIA — Earlier this season, Phillies right-hander Spencer Turnbull went to a clubhouse employee with an odd request. He needed a bag — something he could carry wherever he went on the field. Turnbull filled the blue duffel with an extra pair of cleats, tennis shoes, two gloves, a weighted ball, sunglasses, a football and a small jar of honey.
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“In case I need a little energy boost,” Turnbull said.
The bag is with him at all times. Turnbull is weird, even by baseball standards. “I’ve been referred to at times,” he said, “as someone with a scrambled eggs brain.” For the past seven weeks, he has attempted to learn a new routine as a reliever. It has not been perfect. He’s been late to the ballpark. He’s sometimes taken too much time to warm up. He still throws the football — but in the confined space of a bullpen. He has wanted to be a starter, and old habits die hard.
Now, he’s back in the Phillies rotation.
The Phillies placed Taijuan Walker on the injured list with a blister. Turnbull will start Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers, his former team, and for the foreseeable future in Walker’s spot.
“He’s a good teammate and I want him to be back to being his best as soon as he can,” Turnbull said. “I’ve enjoyed being in the bullpen and learning a new thing. I want to do whatever I can to help the team win. But, obviously, I prefer starting.”
The Phillies preferred the path of least resistance. That meant starting Walker while Turnbull, who signed with the Phillies in February knowing they had five set starters, spent time in the bullpen. Walker had a 5.60 ERA in 10 starts. He could not throw his best pitch, the splitter, with effectiveness. Opponents hit .426 with a .704 slugging percentage against it.
He had a blister three weeks ago that had since inflamed on the top of his right index finger. It rubs against the seam when he attempts to throw the splitter. It’s a legitimate injury, and one Walker could have pitched through. “Absolutely,” he said. But the Phillies are using it as a chance to press pause. Walker said he was in agreement with the club’s decision.
Walker, in the second year of a four-year, $72 million contract, has to be better. He needs the splitter to do that.
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“I hope it works that way,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We can get back to doing some delivery work with him (while he’s on the IL) and things like that until he’s able to throw his split.”
The rotation decisions have been made with the bigger picture in mind. The fifth starter is a regular-season problem, not something that will affect October. For one, Walker’s contract matters. And Turnbull had a better chance of offering the Phillies something as a reliever. (He did, with 19 innings of a 4.26 ERA as a long man.) Turnbull is now at a point where workload is not a paramount concern. And, behind those two pitchers, there is not much rotation depth at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies promoted Michael Mercado, who had pitched well as a starter at Triple A, and will put him in the bullpen. Mercado, 25, was slated to move to a reliever role in July; the Phillies expedited that process. Thomson is curious to see how Mercado’s stuff plays in shorter bursts. He could be used as more than a mop-up man.
This season, Mercado has incorporated a cutter and splitter more often. He’ll have to throw more strikes in the majors. His fastball should touch 98 mph as a reliever. When he pitches, it’ll be his big-league debut.
“It’s a huge honor,” Mercado said. “I mean, obviously with this team being the best team in the big leagues, it makes that accomplishment of getting here mean that much more. It’s pretty awesome.”
Walker will accompany the team for its brief three-game road trip to Detroit. He will continue to throw — just not splitters — while on the IL. The Phillies, at some point this summer, are going to fall back to a six-man rotation to protect their pitchers. That is all that matters right now.
The Phillies have won 23 straight games in which their starter has logged seven innings. They did it again Sunday, in a 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, when Cristopher Sánchez celebrated his new $22.5 million contract with seven scoreless innings. Their starters lead the National League in ERA and innings pitched.
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Turnbull is motivated. He wants to be a contributor to this team. He is pitching for his next contract. And he would like to prove to the Tigers that he’s still a quality pitcher. Turnbull’s time with Detroit, punctuated by a no-hitter in 2021, soured in 2023 when he filed two grievances against the club for demoting him to the minors while he was injured. The Tigers did not offer him a contract this past offseason.
Maybe it’s poetic that he re-enters the Phillies rotation at Comerica Park.
“There’s a way to look at it for sure,” Turnbull said. “I think things happen for a reason. I’m not trying to read into it too much because it’s just another game. But, yeah, I might have a few extra somethings on the inside.”
When asked to describe his time in Detroit, Turnbull paused. “It’s a tough question,” he said. “Bittersweet.” He said he misses teammates and coaches from there. He spent a decade in the Tigers organization. It was all he knew.
He pitched well enough in April to remain in the Phillies rotation, but other factors superseded. Turnbull might not have been happy about that decision. He will have another chance beginning Wednesday. If he does well this time, the Phillies might not be able to remove him from the rotation.
“I’m very happy to be where I am right now,” Turnbull said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Philly’s the best. I really love it here. I’m having a great time this year. It’s been a fantastic organization. I got a fresh start, and I think that’s something I needed. Sometimes that’s all somebody needs.”
That — and a bag filled with stuff. Teammates have asked Turnbull when he’s going to ditch the duffel.
“I don’t know,” Turnbull said. “I’m always worried I’m going to forget something.”
At least, he knows when he’ll pitch next.
(Top photo of Spencer Turnbull: Zac Goodwin / PA Images via Getty Images)
