Turner's agent, Greg Genske, said Monday that his client wants to continue his playing career in 2026, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Turner slashed just .219/.288/.314 with three homers across 80 regular-season contests in 2025 with the Cubs and will turn 41 later this month. The right-handed batter did have a decent .759 OPS versus left-handed pitching, so he could land a contract as a short-side platoon bat.
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Justin Turner: Mutual option declined
Rotowire
Turner became a free agent Thursday after his $10 mutual option for 2026 was declined.
It's unclear whether Turner or the Cubs passed on the option first, but either way, the veteran will be paid a $2 million buyout and head into free agency. Turner slashed just .219/.288/.314 with three homers across 80 regular-season contests in his lone year with the Cubs. Turner will turn 41 later this month and might have a difficult time landing a major-league contract this winter, assuming he wants to continue his playing career.
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Cubs' Justin Turner: Getting start at first base
Rotowire
Turner will start at first base and bat leadoff Monday in Game 2 of the NLDS in Milwaukee, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The right-handed-hitting Turner is expected to get one plate appearance against lefty opener Aaron Ashby before being replaced by the left-handed-swinging Michael Busch. Turner slashed .219/.288/.314 in 80 games for the Cubs this season and will be making his first appearance this postseason.
Turner appeared as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.
Turner pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth inning and blasted off against Baltimore reliever Keegan Akin to give the Cubs a walk-off win. It was a nice moment for the veteran infielder, though he has mostly struggled this year with a .217 batting average, .617 OPS and three home runs across 58 games. Turner has been mainly relegated to occasional playing time against lefties, which limits his fantasy upside.
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Cubs' Justin Turner: Provides offense Tuesday
Rotowire
Turner blasted a pinch-hit solo home run in Tuesday's 8-1 loss to the Twins.
Turner pinch hit in the ninth inning with the Cubs down 8-0, so his second home run of the season didn't have any effect on the outcome of the game. The veteran has been relegated to a reserve role in Chicago and has struggled, recording a .215/.296/.299 slash line through 125 plate appearances. His .595 OPS is down significantly from the .737 mark he posted last year between Seattle and Toronto, and Turner's lack of regular playing time and subpar production diminish his fantasy appeal.
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Cubs' Justin Turner: Enters lineup Monday
Rotowire
Turner is starting at first base and batting eighth in Monday's game against the Cardinals.
With St. Louis starting lefty Matthew Liberatore, regular first baseman Michael Busch will get a day off, allowing Turner to enter the lineup. The veteran is just 3-for-17 this month and is only batting .204 with a .551 OPS overall, so his fantasy appeal has been limited so far in 2025.
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Cubs' Justin Turner: Enters lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
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.
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