May 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Taijuan Walker has been all the Phillies could have asked for him to be and more through his first six starts.
It may have been an unexpected outcome for sure, and even though he took the loss in the Phillies 4-2 defeat Thursday that prevented them from sweeping the Washington Nationals, it wasn't on him.
He threw 52/3 innings and allowed one earned run. Frankly, he may have gotten through the sixth inning unscathed had he not taken a line drive off the side of his leg in that inning or if Bryce Harper didn't whiff on a ball hit right at him.
But the inning sped up on Walker after both things happened, and four runs crossed the plate for the Nats, three of those runs unearned, including another one on a delayed steal that happened because of an errant throw, that somehow wasn't an error, on Rafael Marchan.
Walker has been pretty good for the Phillies. He doesn't get a lot of swing and miss, but he has enough of a pitch mix and is throwing his fastballs at 95 MPH now - a far cry from the 89MPH fastballs a year ago - and that speed differential from his other offerings are enough to keep hitters off balance most nights,
Taijuan Walker just made an unbelievable play flipping the ball to Bryce Harper at first base for the out. When do you ever see a pitcher diving in the dirt and see a pitcher with dirt all over the front of his uniform?
pic.twitter.com/nAyPbdXJiw
But barring an injury in the next two days, come Sunday the Phillies have a decision to make. Ranger Suarez will make his season debut when he starts the finale of the Arizona series on Sunday.
Somebody won't be on the roster anymore. And while it won't likely be Walker that loses a spot, he's almost certainly going to the bullpen as the Phillies don't necessarily want to go to a six-man rotation - at least not this early in the season.
And if you think taking a guy out of the rotation who has pitched well is a tough call, well, it is. But, they did this before.
Remember last year when Spencer Turnbull got off to a great start as a starter and the Phillies took him out of the rotation when Taijuan Walker came back from his spring training injury. Guess who was converted to a reliever?
Heck, even two years ago when Suarez had a delayed start to his season, Matt Strahm was excellent as a starter before being moved permanently to the bullpen.
Here's a comparison for you:
"It's always a good problem to have when you have guys throwing the ball well," Walker said. "especially on the starting rotation side."
Walker has always been a good teammate. No matter his struggles. No matter his role. He's well-liked in the Phillies clubhouse and never makes waves.
But he was the guy coming back into the rotation last year when Turnbull, who was pitching so well, went out. It turned out to be a disaster for the Phillies.
Walker endured the worst season of his career, When the Phillies tried to re-insert Turnbull in the rotation in June, he got hurt and never pitched for them again.
The Phillies don't want that to happen again, but Suarez is a key piece to he Phillies puzzle, and they can't just think about the here and now. They've got to think about the rest of the season.
They haven't told anyone what's going to happen yet. The Phillies smartly don't like to get ahead of themselves. Let the plan be known too early, and something is sure to happen to alter it.
They want to make sure they get through the first two games of the Diamondbacks series unscathed, before anything is publicly finalized.
But the reality is, Suarez is starting Sunday and Walker is likely ticketed to become a long man in the bullpen.
"He's pitched great, he really has" manager Rob Thomson said of Walker. "The work he did in the offseason. He's mixing pitches. He's not throwing his four-seam as much, but because of the added velocity, all of the other stuff is playing out. The cutter is good. The split was really good tonight. He's got that little dump curveball ... that he usually throws it for strikes. He's pitched great. He's attacked the zone and his command's good."
Taijuan Walker, Pretty 77mph Curveball. 🌈 pic.twitter.com/ckYgWZ5viV
So, there's a role for him on the team as a long reliever, right?
"Absolutely, absolutely," Thomson said. "But I'm not saying that's what we're going to do."
Imagine this conversation two months ago.
Baseball is a funny game, and Walker has put in the work to make himself a viable pitcher again. He deserves to stay a part of the team, regardless if he's a starter or a reliever.
