With the 2025 MLB regular season entering the final month of action, teams across the league are gearing up for one last push towards the playoffs.
The Detroit Tigers are comfortably sitting atop the AL Central standings, but they want to keep their firm grasp on the top seed in the AL playoff standings, as the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees lurk in the background.
With rosters set to expand on Monday, Sept. 1, the Tigers will look to add another reinforcement or two to help seal the deal.
Speaking of roster expansion, many free agent players are trying to find one more opportunity in hopes of making a postseason roster, or at least putting something good on tape for potential suitors this offseason.
One of those free agents is former Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnball, who has bounced around the majors this season and will surprisingly be joining one of Detroit’s rivals in the division.
We have signed RHP Spencer Turnbull to a minor league contract.
— Raising Royals (@KCRoyalsPD) August 30, 2025
Former Tigers Starter Spencer Turnbull Signs with Kansas City Royals
On Saturday, the Kansas City Royals announced that they signed Turnbull to a minor league contract. The 32-year-old right-handed pitcher was immediately assigned to Triple-A Omaha (Royals’ affiliate).
The former Tigers pitcher was most recently with the Chicago Cubs’ organization, which signed Turnbull to a minor league deal on July 12 after beginning the 2025 season with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Turnbull started in one game for Chicago’s Arizona Complex League team before being promoted to Triple-A Iowa. That said, the ex-Tigers hurler didn’t have an easy time on the mound with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate.
In six starts, Turnbull had a 0-3 record and 9.49 ERA, which is eerily similar to what he did with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo (0-2 with a 9.95 ERA).
With Triple-A Iowa, he allowed 40 hits, 26 earned runs (four home runs), 13 walks, while only landing 24 strikeouts in 24.2 innings pitched. Opponents were also tearing the ball off the cover, hitting .367 off Turnbull.
A few days ago, the struggling ex-Tigers pitcher opted out of his minor league contract with the Cubs, per Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register. It will be interesting to see if Turnbull can get back to the majors before the end of September.
RHP Spencer Turnbull, who made six starts with the @IowaCubs, is now a free agent. I’m told he’s opted out.
— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) August 28, 2025
The veteran pitcher’s most recent stint in the majors with the Blue Jays wasn’t great, as he had a 7.11 ERA across three appearances (one start).
Turnbull has struggled to look like the pitcher we saw early last year with the Philadelphia Phillies (2.65 ERA across 17 games/7 starts). The former Tigers pitcher couldn’t finish what he started, as it was derailed by injury.
However, even dating back to his days with the Tigers, Turnbull has shown flashes of being a good pitcher, but he hasn’t found that consistency needed to be a quality major league pitcher.