Miami Marlins news: Marlins designate Jacob Turner for assignment

After a 3-4 home stand during which Henderson Alvarez was placed on the 15-day disabled list, the Miami Marlins are once again altering the rotation. On Tuesday afternoon, the Marlins designated starter Jacob Turner for assignment and recalled Brian Flynn from Triple-A New Orleans.

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com was among the first to report the news.

#Marlins RHP Jacob Turner designated for assignment. LHP Brian Flynn recalled from NOLA

— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) August 5, 2014

Turner was out of options, so #Marlins now risk losing him. Flynn, part of the trade w/ #Tigers that brought in Turner was called up

— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) August 5, 2014

Turner was 4-7 with a 5.97 ERA and 4.01 FIP in just over 78 innings pitched in 2014. He saw time both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen as a long reliever, but at times had command trouble in both roles.

The move comes after Turner allowed five runs in four innings in his last start against the Reds.

Miami acquired Turner from Detroit in the Anibal Sanchez/Omar Infante trade with the Tigers. Turner is out of options, and the Marlins may try to trade him.

Notably, he has improved significantly this year in several respects: his 6.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 are improvements over last year, even though he’s allowed more earned runs, and he has even bumped up his groundball rate to 51.3%. Indeed, Turner owns a 4.01 FIP, 3.93 xFIP, and 3.98 SIERA on the season — all career-low marks, and all seemingly in line with a player of his age and former repute. His fastball velocity is on the rise.

Turner’s situation will certainly warrant a close eye. He will, of course, need to pass through waivers to be dealt. One wonders whether Miami perhaps already has its eye on some sort of trade with a high waiver-priority club.

Turner was once considered a top pitching prospect, and even with time in the minor leagues, could not turn things around. In addition to command inconsistencies, Turner has also had difficulty with his delivery, and baserunners have taken advantage of his inability to pitch quickly with runners on base.

Flynn has pitched to a 7-8 record with a 4.00 ERA and 4.83 FIP in 21 games started in New Orleans. He will likely be slotted into the starting rotation, adding a second lefty to complement Brad Hand.

Flynn will complement Nathan Eovaldi, Brad Hand, Jarred Cosart, and Tom Koehler in the rotation.

Stay tuned to Fish Stripes for the latest!