Turner will start at designated hitter and bat eighth in Tuesday's game against the Nationals.
Kyle Tucker jammed his finger in Sunday's contest and will miss at least one game as a result. Tucker's absence will clear a spot in the lineup for Turner, who serves as the Cubs' DH while Seiya Suzuki covers Tucker's usual spot in right field. Turner has yet to get going this season with a .210/.302/.272 slash line across 96 plate appearances, though he could still see an uptick in playing time if Tucker is forced to miss additional games.
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Cubs' Justin Turner: Hits first home run
Rotowire
Turner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Reds.
Turner got on the board with his first home run of the season in the third inning against Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott. It's been a struggle so far for the veteran infielder in a reserve role, as he's sporting a .588 OPS, which would be Turner's worst since the .229 mark he posted in only nine games back in 2010, his second year in the majors.
Turner is serving as the designated hitter and batting eighth in Sunday's game against the Mets.
Turner is serving as Chicago's DH for the second straight game, as Seiya Suzuki handles left field in the absence of Ian Happ (oblique). Turner has yet to really get going this season, slashing just .161/.269/.161 across 23 games. The veteran is also still looking for his first home run in a Cubs uniform.
Turner is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers.
Turner will return to the bench after he picked up his third start of the season in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Padres and went 0-for-4 with an RBI. All three of those starts have come against left-handed pitching, and Turner will likely remain limited to a short-side platoon role while the Cubs have all of their lineup regulars available.
Turner agreed to terms Tuesday with the Cubs on a one-year, $6 million contract, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
The 40-year-old Turner will join the eighth organization of his career in 2025 after he slashed .259/.354/.383 with 11 home runs over 139 games between the Blue Jays and Mariners last season. Mooney relays that it's "unclear to what extent" the Cubs might consider Turner as an option at third base, where top prospect Matt Shaw (oblique) is the favorite to win the job. The Cubs' plan for now seems to be for Turner to see most of his playing time on the short side of a platoon at first base with Michael Busch, while also getting occasional starts at designated hitter.
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Justin Turner: Nearing deal with Cubs
Rotowire
Turner is close to reaching agreement with the Cubs on a one-year contract, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Expect the two sides to come to terms on the deal at some point this week, which would give the 40-year-old ample time to get himself prepared for Opening Day. While splitting time between the Blue Jays and Mariners last season, Turner played in 139 games and slashed .259/.354/.383 with 11 home runs, 55 RBI and 59 runs across 539 plate appearances. Though he primarily served as a first baseman and designated hitter in 2024, Turner made four starts at third base between his two stops and could be an option at the hot corner if prospect Matt Shaw (oblique) isn't deemed ready to handle a full-time role with the big club coming out of spring training. Once the Cubs feel confident Shaw is capable of handling an everyday gig, Turner could see most his playing time at first base, where he would occupy the short side of platoon with Michael Busch.
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