‘The numbers are ugly': Justin Turner walks off Marlins as he tries to shake early slump

New York Times

14-05-2025

CHICAGO — Tuesday night was supposed to be about youngster Moisés Ballesteros making his MLB debut. The 21-year-old designated hitter and catcher was called up after Ian Happ was placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain. An offense-first player, Ballesteros has mashed in a month-plus at Triple A and earned this promotion.
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The choice to call up Ballesteros was also an indictment of the play of veteran Justin Turner so far this season. Turner, signed by the Cubs late in the offseason to a one-year, $6-million deal after their failed pursuit of Alex Bregman, would have been the logical player to get the bulk of the playing time with Seiya Suzuki shifting to Happ's normal spot in left, opening up the DH role. But Turner entered play on Tuesday with a 35 wRC+ and had yet to deliver an extra-base hit in 70 plate appearances.
But for a brief moment Tuesday night, Turner found his best self. Pinch-hitting for Nicky Lopez in the seventh inning of a game the Cubs trailed by two, Turner drew a walk. Two innings later, now trailing 4-3, Turner came up with runners on the corners and delivered a game-winning, two-run double as the Cubs walked off the Miami Marlins for a 5-4 victory.
'I'm happy for him,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'It's a big moment, it's at home, it's a big hit. He's done it so many times. And it's not fun watching a great player struggle. But he got a moment, and he did it.'
The hit had to feel like a tremendous relief for Turner. The 40-year-old is in his 17th big-league season and has had his fair share of ups and downs. Despite the results not coming, he had believed he was close to turning a corner.
'Felt close for a while now,' Turner said. 'Just haven't really clicked. Feel like the at-bats have been competitive. Just not finishing with good results. At-bats are going a lot longer than they should because I should be moving pitches forward that I'm fouling off right now. It felt good to move one forward and be a big part of that W tonight.'
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— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 14, 2025
Turner's last start, Sunday afternoon in New York, is a perfect example of him missing his pitch. He fouled off three pitches, all fastballs, in the heart of the zone. Those are normally the pitches a veteran hitter like Turner should be driving. The same thing happened in his first plate appearance on Tuesday night as he pulled a hittable pitch foul. Entering the day, of hitters who have seen at least 200 pitches this season, Turner has the fifth-highest percentage (12.2 percent) of pitches seen in the 'heart' of the zone that have been fouled off.
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'This is something that's maybe just a little mechanically off,' Turner said. 'I feel like the overall body of the at-bat is fine. They're just not ending when they should. Meaning I'm fouling off the pitches I should be moving forward. Been grinding on it, trying to get it cleaned up and I feel like I'm getting close. Just gotta keep going out, showing up every day working and get better results.'
Turner said his timing hasn't felt right and that his setup isn't what it should be. He also admitted he'd been moving too fast, likely because he's trying to do too much to get the results he's lacking.
'I think it's human nature when you're not getting results to try harder and harder,' Turner said. 'In this game, it's like quicksand. The harder you try, the deeper hole you get in. Obviously, the numbers are ugly. But they're not going to get fixed in one at-bat. You gotta back off a little bit, stay in the process and try to simplify things.'
It would be easy to point to Turner being 40 and age finally catching up to him. Perhaps that's the case. But merely suggesting his bat has slowed doesn't account for everything. According to the Statcast data, Turner's bat speed is in the bottom one percentile in baseball. But that's no different than last season when he posted a 117 wRC+ or much worse than 2023 when he was at 115.
Last May, Turner posted a 7 wRC+ in 82 plate appearances. The next month, he posted a 169 wRC+. He knows things can turn quickly in this game. But he also understands this isn't a point in his career where playing time is guaranteed. On a team that has multiple options, he has to produce.
'The mindset is that every time you get an opportunity, you try to earn the trust and earn more at-bats from the manager,' Turner said. 'That's the way it's gotta be.'
Turner was able to do that on Tuesday. Prior to the win, Turner was taking early batting practice, something he's been doing regularly to try and find his best self.
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'It's baseball,' Turner said. 'It doesn't matter how good or bad you're feeling, you gotta show up and work every day. If you take anything for granted, this game will punish you. Obviously, (I've) been going through it. I'm not going to make any excuses, I gotta be better. But at the same time, just gotta show up and put the work in every day.'
His teammates have watched how hard he's been working. It hasn't gone unnoticed that despite his struggles, he comes to the ballpark with a smile, eager to impact the group in any way he can.
'He's probably one of the best teammates I've had in my life,' starter Ben Brown said. 'We're so thankful for every single thing he does for us as a team off the field. Then you also realize that JT is a very, very good baseball player today and has done some very amazing things in his career. He's seen so many big moments, small moments, hard times.'
It's just one good game for Turner. Even after an 0-for-4 showing in his debut, nobody will be surprised if Ballesteros is in the lineup on Wednesday and Turner is on the bench. Despite largely being an everyday player in the recent past, this isn't a new role for Turner. He fought for at-bats for much of the early part of his career and had to prove himself by producing. He's prepared to do it again.
'I know how it goes,' Turner said. 'You can't use not getting everyday at-bats as an excuse. You still gotta go out there and put together good at-bats, and you gotta get results. That's the bottom line and the name of the game. We're out here trying to win a division and make a deep run in October. At the end of the day, you gotta produce.'