Detroit Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnbull is ready to return after having battled the COVID-19 virus, which kept him on the outside out looking in at Spring Training.
“It’s definitely a weird virus,” Turnbull stated on Tuesday. “It just does weird stuff to your body. I was never like miserable, miserable. I’ve heard stories of people having it way worse. But I definitely had symptoms and am trying to get back to normal.”
During his bout with coronavirus, Turnbull said that he lost 10 pounds of lean muscle mass. However, he was cleared to resume team activities on April 1 with minor-league spring training players.
“It was definitely disappointing and frustrating,” Turnbull said. “But there’s not a whole lot you can do about it. You just kind of take it in stride and try to work as hard as you can to get back as soon as possible.”
Turnbull soon went 4 1/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds alternate squad, throwing 70 pitches while recording two strikeouts. Another previous start against the Chicago Cubs alternate squad was limited to under a dozen pitches due to the weather.
“I feel good and pretty close to normal,” Turnbull said. “Kind of working my way back. I’m definitely a little lighter, haven’t gotten all my weight back yet. Velocity is getting there. It was almost there last start. It was a little down but started creeping back up as the innings went on.”
I’m expecting to go five or six (innings),” Turnbull said of his upcoming start. “That’s the goal. I’m still in that ramp-up, build-up process right now, but I almost went five in Toledo, so I have no doubts of being able to go five or six, or even seven. That’s a pretty normal start.
In 11 games with the Tigers last year, Turnbull amassed a record of 4-4 with a 3.97 ERA.
– – Quotes via Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press Link – –
