Nik Turley Fantasy Stats

The Oakland Athletics acquired left-hander Nik Turley from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in exchange for $60,000. Turley was 0-3 with a 4.98 ERA and one save in 25 relief appearances -- the most of any major league rookie in 2020 -- for the Pirates in 21 2/3 innings in the shortened season. The 31-year-old debuted with the Minnesota Twins in 2017 and then didn't pitch the next two years while working his way back from Tommy John surgery. The southpaw reliever will hopefully become a reliable relief arm for Oakland after they lost former closer Liam Hendriks in free agency. He'll join fellow lefty Jake Diekman and righties Lou Trivino, J.B. Wendelken and Jordan Weems in the A's bullpen but is unlikely to have much fantasy value.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Nik Turley was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Ipamorelin. Turley was just claimed off waivers from the Twins in November, and now his Pirates debut will have to wait. He made his major league debut in 2017, posting an ugly 11.21 ERA in 10 appearances. His suspension will begin at the start of the season.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Nik Turley was optioned back to Triple-A following his start against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Turley did not fare well against Chicago, allowing five runs on six hits in 2/3 of an inning. The rookie left-hander heads back to the minors with a 0-2 record and 16.39 ERA after making three starts. Turley making it to the big leagues in itself was a nice story as the 50th round draft pick back in 2008 bounced around in the minors and independent leagues for nine years before finally making his MLB debut two weeks ago. Turley will head to Triple-A Rochester to attempt to prove he deserves another shot to pitch in the majors.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Nik Turley didn't fare too well in his second big league start. He allowed the Cleveland Indians to rack up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings of work, striking out three and walking four. Turley, who spent nine years bouncing around the minors, has not taken advantage of his first chance to impress at the major league level. He's now allowed 12 runs in 8 2/3 innings of work while striking out seven. He could be on his way back to the minors as soon as Hector Santiago is ready to return from a shoulder injury.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Nik Turley waited 10 years to get his chance to start a Major League Baseball game. It did not go as planned Sunday, as the rookie southpaw allowed four runs on eight hits over four innings of work. Turley was able to get four strikeouts while walking none. Turley stated after the game that his nerves may have gotten the best of him, saying, "I honestly can't remember what it felt like at the start. A lot of nerves. Sometimes it was hard for me to control what I wanted to do with my body." Turley posted excellent strikeout numbers in the minors this season, so it will be interesting to see what he can do once he settles down in his second start, if he even receivers another start. He's merely a risky streamer in AL-only leagues if he sticks around.

The Minnesota Twins have tabbed left-hander Nik Turley as their starter on Sunday. Turley will make his big league debut when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants. Turley was a 50th-round draft pick back in 2008 and has bounced around from the minor leagues to independent leagues since being drafted while waiting for his shot in the majors. The Giants have not been great against left-handed pitching this season, which gives Turley a good shot at making a nice first impression. Most casual baseball fans probably haven't heard of him, but Turley has been impressive in the minors this season, averaging 16.64 strikeouts per nine innings in 24 1/3 Double-A innings and 12.39 K/9 in 28 1/3 Triple-A innings. He's a solid choice in DFS tournaments for Sunday, but he's unlikely to stick long in Minnesota's rotation.