Nik Turley

Position: LHP
Born: 09/11/89
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent on October 21, 2016 (MIN). Originally drafted in the 50th round of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft (NYY).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
1-3 with a 2.05 ERA in 12 games, eight of them starts, between Chattanooga (Double-A) and Rochester (Triple-A), striking out 84 and walking just 15 in 52 2/3 innings, while allowing 33 hits for a .178 BAA.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Contract purchased from Rochester on June 10 when LHP Randy Rosario was sent down and RHP Drew Rucinski was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
MLB Debut Date: 06/11/17

Debut Details
June 11, in a 13-8 loss to the Giants. The starting pitcher, he did not get the decision, allowing four runs, all earned, on eight hits in four-plus innings, striking out four without walking a batter. Of 73 pitches, 46 were for strikes. In the first inning, Kelby Tomlinson led off with a single to center, moving to third on a double to left by Eduardo Nunez and scoring on Aaron Hill's sacrifice fly to center. Buster Posey grounded out to first, allowing Nunez to score, before Hunter Pence struck out swinging. In the second, Nick Hundley grounded out back to the mound, Austin Slater lined out to left and then Gorkys Hernandez doubled to left before Matt Cain struck out looking on three pitches. In the third, Tomlinson once again led off with a single to center before Nunez lined out to right, Hill struck out swinging and Posey flew out to right. In the fourth, Pence doubled to left to lead things off and scored on a single to center by Hundley, who advanced to third on a double to center by Slater. Both were stranded at second and third with no outs, however, as Hernandez grounded out to third, Cain struck out swinging on three pitches and Tomlinson grounded out to third. In the fifth, Nunez doubled to left field, at which point right-handed reliever Chris Heston came on for Turley. After recording one out, he gave up an RBI single to left to Posey, allowing Nunez to score and closing the book on Turley.

Player Notes
Making his MLB debut in his 10th pro season, the well-traveled southpaw was originally the third-to-last pick in the MLB draft, taken in a round that no longer even exists -- the 50th! -- out of Los Angeles' Harvard-Westlake School (one of the top schools in the country). After spending seven seasons in the Yankees system, he turned in several solid seasons before spending 2015 with the Giants, and 2016 with the Red Sox, both on minor league free agent deals. In '16 at Portland (Double-A), he was 1-2 with a 4.29 ERA in 20 games, striking out 48 batters in 35 2/3 innings and allowing 26 hits. He had actually inked with the Chicago White Sox prior to the 2016 season but was released at the end of spring training and scooped up by Boston almost immediately. Turley, who turned down a scholarship to BYU to sign with the Yankees back in 2008, has expressed a desire to do his Mormon mission after he finishes his baseball career.