No Red Sox minor leaguer drew more walks in 2026 than Will Turner. Here is a closer look at the interesting season the 24-year-old outfielder put together.
Turner spent the entire 2026 campaign with Double-A Portland, his first at the level. The left-handed hitter batted .202/.395/.405 with five doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 21 RBIs, 40 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 50 walks, and 49 strikeouts through his first 55 games (225 plate appearances) before landing on the injured list in late June.
Upon returning to action in early July, Turner slashed .183/.339/.431 with nine doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 20 RBIs, 28 runs scored, five stolen bases, 34 walks, and 54 strikeouts over 44 games (189 plate appearances) to close out the season. He homered four times in his final five games, ending things on a high note.
Overall, Turner hit .193/.369/.417 with 14 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 41 RBIs, 68 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 84 walks, and 103 strikeouts over 99 games and a team-high 414 plate appearances for the Sea Dogs in 2026. He posted a .205/.381/.445 line in 330 plate appearances against right-handed pitching and a .149/.321/.313 line in 84 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.
Among 35 Eastern League hitters who logged at least 400 plate appearances this season, Turner ranked first in walk rate (20.3%), second in swinging-strike rate (7.7%), third in isolated power, sixth in on-base percentage, seventh in wOBA (.358), eighth in wRC+ (112), 12th in OPS (.786), 14th in slugging percentage, and 15th in speed score (6.1). However, he also ranked 26th in strikeout rate (24.9%) and 35th in batting average and BABIP (.219), per FanGraphs.
Defensively, Turner made a habit of flashing the leather in the outfield for Portland. His most memorable moment of the season came on August 22, when he robbed Reading’s Raider Tello of a home run to lead off the third inning by climbing the left-center field fence and making an acrobatic catch at Hadlock Field.
“I got a really good jump on it, and I knew that I was gonna have a chance at it,” Turner told MLB.com’s Tim Crowley. “As I was kind of going towards the wall, I was like, ‘OK, this is gonna carry a little bit, but it’s not gonna go out by that much.’ I kind of took my eye off of the ball and looked at the wall just to make sure that my foot was in the right spot. I turned back, and the ball’s right where I thought it was gonna be, and just brought it down.”
Over the course of the season, Turner saw action at all three outfield spots for the Sea Dogs. The athletic 5-foot-11, 200-pounder made 49 starts in center field, 24 starts in left field, and 18 starts in right field, recording three assists and committing just one error in 200 chances altogether. He also made four starts at DH.
“I’m just so blessed to play, and players make a lot of good plays on a daily basis in the minors and in The Show,” Turner said. “I really take pride in my defense, and it’s always been a big thing for me. I really like taking hits away and doing whatever I can to make sure that happens. I always think robbing home runs is really cool.”
A South Alabama product, Turner saw his draft stock fall during his junior season before the Red Sox selected him in the seventh round (207th overall) of the 2024 draft. He received a below-slot $250,000 signing bonus and made his professional debut with High-A Greenville that August. A broken right hamate bone that required surgery limited him to 52 games between the FCL and Greenville in 2025.
Turner, who turned 24 in September, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. While the outlet takes note of his solid approach at the plate and athleticism in the outfield, it also describes him as having a “wide range of outcomes” due in part to questions regarding the development of his high-variance hit tool.
Barring a trade or other move this winter, SoxProspects.com projects that Turner will return to Portland to begin the 2027 season. That said, he could push his way to Triple-A Worcester at some point if he makes additional progress at the plate.
(Picture of Will Turner: Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
