Phillies’ Spencer Turnbull to pitch out of bullpen Tuesday

After an electric start to the season as a member of the starting rotation, Spencer Turnbull will pitch out of the bullpen for the first time as a Phillie.

Turnbull excelled as Philadelphia’s No. 5 starter in the absence of Taijuan Walker, posting a 1.67 ERA in six starts so far this year. Upon Walker’s return from the injured list on April 18, the team shuffled things around for both to get starts. The Phillies ultimately needed to make a decision, and it chose to move Turnbull to the ‘pen. He’ll get his first opportunity in his new role on Tuesday night.

“He will pitch tonight,” manager Rob Thomson said before the club’s opening matchup of a short two-game series against Toronto at Citizens Bank Park. “… We’ve got a plan.”

Thomson, however, declined to reveal the details of that plan. Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez will start on the mound against the Blue Jays, and Turnbull will relieve at some point. Perhaps it could be for one inning, but a bulk relief appearance following Sánchez might be more likely. Turnbull has thrown as many as seven innings this season and threw 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball against the Angels on April 30. He can certainly give some length.

Turnbull has just one career relief appearance in the big leagues, throwing one inning in his major-league debut for the Tigers in 2018. He’s made 66 starts since, his six most recent significantly helping a Phillies team (25-11) with the best record in the sport. The Phillies won five of the six games Turnbull has started, and the right-hander has racked up 36 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings with a staggering 246 ERA+. His move to the bullpen is a reflection of Philadelphia’s strong starting pitching, as well its commitment to giving Walker his chance to start in the second year of a four-year contract.

Tuesday’s game could shed some light on how the Phillies will use Turnbull going forward and how often he might pitch. Thomson didn’t assign any set duration or role for his breakout pitcher, but did note that he hasn’t pitched on back-to-back days. If Turnbull follows Sánchez for multiple innings, it could serve of a sign of how the team will ask him to contribute moving forward.

“If we were piggybacking him,” Thomson said, “he’d be pitching every fifth day. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to piggyback him. But if you do, that’s what you do. Other than that, it just depends on how much (he pitches).”

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