NEWSLETTER
Rough year for Jacob Turner.
First, he was dumped by the Marlins last August for questionable reasons, and then wasn’t able to put together a strong finish with the Cubs after they claimed him on waivers and completed a trade to acquire him. Then, he was looking good in Spring Training when a flexor issue (elbow) shut him down. Then – and I’m still fuzzy on the particulars – his shoulder became inflamed, and he started the season on the disabled list. He wasn’t able to start throwing for a long time, but finally worked his way to a rehab assignment a couple weeks ago. He was looking good at AA Tennessee, and there also looked to be a fifth starter job ripe for the plucking when he was ready to go.
But, then, you know, rough year stuff:
If Wada can't go Saturday, Cubs say they have options in MLB pen & in minors. Turner isn't one, elbow flared up again & he's shut down
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) June 24, 2015
#Cubs have shut down Justin Turner because his right elbow flared up. No timetable for his rehab
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) June 24, 2015
Theo says Jacob Turner's elbow "flared up" so he's shut down
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) June 24, 2015
Hopefully we’ll get more information soon. Guessing at a timetable is pretty useless at this point, because we don’t know how long he’ll be shut down for, and how much he’ll need to build back up, etc. The whole thing could be a few weeks, or it could be the rest of the year. We’ll just be patient until there’s more.
Turner’s upside is that of a mid-rotation starter – he’s still just 24 – and, at this point in his career, he’s unlikely to reach that upside. That said, there aren’t too many 24-year-old, big-league-experienced arms floating around in the Cubs’ stable, and it was going to be very nice to soon have him available, even if “just in case.”
