Report: Blue Jays sign pitchers Turnbull, Urena
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The Toronto Blue Jays are adding reinforcements to their pitching staff.
Toronto is bringing in both Spencer Turnbull and Jose Urena on MLB deals, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The Blue Jays have been without a fifth starter following the injury to Max Scherzer and the demotion of Easton Lucas to Triple-A. General manager Ross Atkins told reporters Friday that the team would consider “external alternatives” for starting rotation depth and added they had a “couple of things in the works.”
Turnbull, who had gone unsigned into the season, was limited to just 17 outings last year with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He made six starts the first month of the season and shifted to the bullpen in May, but did not pitch past June 26 due to a lat strain that eventually ended his season. The 32-year-old was impressive in limited action, turning in a 2.65 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched.
Prior to his time with the Phillies, Turnbull spent the first six seasons of his career with the Detroit Tigers, pitching out of the rotation for the bulk of his tenure. Turnbull owns a 4.26 big-league ERA in six active MLB seasons.
Urena, 33, is a veteran of 11 MLB seasons spent with seven different teams. He began 2025 with the New York Mets but elected free agency earlier this week after being designated for assignment. He appeared in one game, allowing five earned runs in 3.0 innings pitched.
A native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Urena got into 33 games with the Texas Rangers last season pitching primarily out of the bullpen and turned in a 3.80 ERA.
He has a career big-league ERA of 4.80 in 233 MLB outings, 152 of them starts.