Trey Turner

Trey Eugene Daniel Turner (born June 15, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He was drafted in the 10th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals.[1]

Turner was a two-way player at Neosho High School, seeing time as an outfielder as well as a catcher while also pitching.[2] He went on to attend Crowder College, where he was a position player for the Crowder Roughriders, before attending Missouri State University.[3] He primarily worked out of the bullpen as a right-handed relief pitcher for the Missouri State Bears, racking up 22 strikeouts in 13+1⁄3 innings with a 2.03 ERA and a 2–0 record in his junior year[4] before an injury ended his season in April 2017. Turner underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.[5] The Nationals, who drafted him in June, were known for their tendency to draft pitchers who needed to have or had already undergone Tommy John surgery, including 2012 draft first-round pick Lucas Giolito[6] and 2016 draft third-round pick Jesus Luzardo,[7] and the team's scouting director told The Washington Post that the organization would "rehab him the right way".[5] He returned to action for the 2018 season, making his professional debut with the Auburn Doubledays on June 16, one day after his 22nd birthday.[8]

Upon being drafted by the Nationals, Turner also attracted some tongue-in-cheek media attention due to the similarity of his name to then-Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, who finished second in the voting for 2016 National League Rookie of the Year. Both Turners pronounce their name the same way, with the only difference being in the spelling of the first name.[9]

Washington released Turner on August 24, 2021.[10]