Justin

Turner

Turner will be 41 years old next season and is no longer a full-time player. However, he did post a .759 OPS against left-handed pitching for the Cubs this season and could join a contender as a right-handed bat off the bench.

We assume it was declined by the Cubs, but that hasn’t been officially confirmed. Turner, 40, hit .219/.288/.314 in 191 plate appearances for the Cubs and finished out the season as the oldest position player in the league. He’ll likely have to accept a minor league deal if he wants to continue his career.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell will shake things up with veteran Justin Turner leading off, while Michael Busch starts on the bench. Lefty opener Aaron Ashby will take the ball for Milwaukee to kick off the contest before Quinn Priester enters in a bulk relief role. Here’s the full lineup: Turner (1B), Nico Hoerner (2B), Kyle Tucker (DH), Seiya Suzuki (RF), Ian Happ (LF), Carson Kelly (C), Pete Crow-Armstring (CF), Dansby Swanson (SS) and Matt Shaw (3B).

Crow-Armstrong, who was dropped to seventh in the lineup for Monday’s series opener, takes a seat with underwhelming lefty Joey Wentz taking the ball for Atlanta in this one. It’ll be rookie Kevin Alcántara in center field. Michael Busch is also on the bench in favor of veteran Justin Turner. Chicago has the depth to mix-and-match and they appear poised to have both Crow-Armstrong and Busch sit against southpaws down the home stretch.

He’ll get to keep his usual 41 jersey, as Michael Soroka has made the switch to 19. The Cubs now have the league’s two oldest active position players, with the 39-year-old Santana slotting in behind the 40-year-old Justin Turner there but probably ahead of Turner on the depth chart. He’ll likely get some starts at first base against lefties and serve as a pinch-hitter.

Happ will get a rare breather with tough left-hander Carlos Rodon toeing the slab for the Yankees. Justin Turner will slide into the lineup as the designated hitter to replace him and will bat seventh for the Cubs on Friday evening.

There’s nothing wrong with the 27-year-old first baseman, he’s simply getting a breather with star southpaw Tarik Skubal toeing the slab for the Tigers. Justin Turner will start in his place at first base and will bat eighth for the Cubs on Friday evening.

The Cubs are trying to give Tucker some extra time off for the swelling to subside after injuring his right ring finger over the weekend on a stolen-base attempt. Fortunately, initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures and the 28-year-old fantasy superstar figures to return to Chicago’s lineup at some point this week. He remains day-to-day for now. It’ll be Seiya Suzuki in right field and Justin Turner at DH on Wednesday night for the second straight game.

The positive news for fantasy managers is that X-rays came back negative on Sunday after Tucker jammed his right ring finger on a stolen-base attempt. Cubs skipper Craig Counsell downplayed concern about the injury, but they’re clearly not going to take any chances by rushing him back. The 28-year-old fantasy superstar, who has 12 homers, 39 RBI and 16 thefts through 59 games in his Chicago debut, will get some extra time off to rest and recover on Tuesday night with Seiya Suzuki heading out to patrol right field and Justin Turner at DH.

The Cubs entered the ninth inning trailing 4-2, but they got to work as Carson Kelly reached on an error, Dansby Swanson walked and Nico Hoerner smacked a one-out RBI single. That’s when Turner did his damage, sending the home faithful at Wrigley Field into a frenzy. The 40-year-old infielder finished the night 1-for-1 plus a walk and is now hitting .169/.292/.186 with zero homers, nine RBI and one stolen base in his first 72 plate appearances on the season.