Tigers' Spencer Turnbull: Likely out through mid-April

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday that he expects Turnbull (COVID-19 injured list) to miss the team's "first few series" of the season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

While Detroit hasn't explicitly said that Turnbull's placement on the COVID-19 IL a few days ago was the result of a positive test, his projected multi-series absence to begin the season suggests that's indeed the case. Assuming Turnbull doesn't experience any major symptoms during his recovery, he seems unlikely to be ready to go until around mid-April, and he could need additional time beyond that to build up his pitch count after the lengthy break in his throwing progression. Turnbull's absence will clear the way for Matthew Boyd to enter 2021 as the Tigers' No. 1 pitcher.