MILWAUKEE — Cubs corner infielder and designated hitter Justin Turner often can be seen during batting practice sitting on a bucket with his pants leg rolled up and his cap worn backward.
Turner, 40, doesn’t take many swings but enjoys the camaraderie with his fellow hitters. Though he played in only 80 games and batted just .219/.288/.314 in the regular season, he has ingrained himself into the fabric of the Cubs because of his wealth of playoff experience accrued during his time with the Dodgers.
Entering Game 5 of the Cubs’ National League Division Series on Saturday against the Brewers, Turner was hitting .271/.370/.461 with 13 home runs in 87 playoff games. He got a greater appreciation of the postseason after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons with the Red Sox in 2023 and the Mariners 2024.
‘‘I wanted to come here and be a Cub to get back in the postseason and make another run at winning a championship,’’ he told the Sun-Times.
More than that, however, Turner’s presence has proved invaluable to a Cubs team that was reeling after falling behind 0-2 in the NLDS.
‘‘I think you have to have an ego to get to this point,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘Ego is not a bad word. It’s just [that] you have to have that to have the success that he’s had.”
Turner is known for reinventing himself in the middle of his career with a swing adjustment at the beginning of the launch-angle revolution. He’s well-versed in advanced metrics and used them to advance his game.
Being open to new information helped Turner extend his career. In Game 2, he became the oldest player in Cubs history to appear in a playoff game.
Turner’s circuitous route to becoming a two-time All-Star also has been a benefit. He has been a guy on the fringe, fighting for a roster spot, and also the linchpin of a lineup. His many experiences give him a perspective that is more helpful than if he had been a first-round draft pick and taken a linear path to stardom.
‘‘The routine is important when you get in the [playoffs],’’ Turner said. ‘‘[The] spotlight is magnified, the fans are loud, your heart rate starts speeding up and you feel like your chest is beating out of your jersey.
‘‘[That’s when] the routine and the breathing and all those tools you have, you need to lean on to slow everything down.’’
Such advice has been necessary, as third baseman Matt Shaw was hitless in the playoffs until Game 4 of the NLDS and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s production has fluctuated.
‘‘Having JT around adds that much more experience that I feel like we need,’’ Crow-Armstrong said. ‘‘It’s just really nice having that around.’’
Juggling being a veteran voice and a player can be difficult. It requires a generosity and baseball wisdom to pull off.
‘‘The true teachers and the true teammates, they do that part without making themselves the center of attention,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘It’s hard to do that. Justin has a really great way of doing that, where not only is he a player, but he separates and he’s literally a teacher with this great experience and this great wisdom.
‘‘And that comes across as so authentic to his teammates, and that’s why it’s so impactful.’’