The Phillies’ regular season is less than two months in, and Taijuan Walker has already been moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen, back to the rotation, and is now expected to head back to the bullpen once again.
This back-and-forth likely won’t continue much longer. When Aaron Nola returns from his stint on the 15-day injured list with a right ankle sprain, Walker is expected to transition to a full-time bullpen role — barring any major injuries to the starting staff.
“It’s tough,” manager Rob Thomson admitted Wednesday about the frequent changes in Walker’s role. “Most guys don’t enjoy it — it adds wear and tear and raises the risk of injury. But once Nola is back, I think we just need to commit. Even if we need a spot starter, we’ll find someone else. We want to keep Tai healthy. I’m actually excited to see him pitch more out of the bullpen. His stuff has really played up in that role. He was lights-out in Tampa and looked strong his next time out too.”
Walker has delivered solid results this season, with a 2.97 ERA in seven starts and two earned runs allowed over six innings in relief. His first bullpen outing against the Rays was dominant — three scoreless innings and seven strikeouts, earning his first career save. He followed that with another three-inning appearance against the Cardinals.
In both outings, his fastball velocity ticked up — averaging 93.7 mph versus his season average of 92.3 mph as a starter.
“As a starter, I pitch to contact more, but in the bullpen, I’m learning how to attack for strikeouts,” Walker said after allowing three runs over five innings in a win against the Rockies Wednesday night.
Nola has yet to resume mound work since going on the IL last Friday. He’s expected to throw a bullpen session soon, possibly this weekend in Sacramento. If he only misses a couple of starts, he likely won’t need a rehab assignment, meaning Walker will probably get at least one more start.
Once he moves back to the bullpen, Walker won’t just be used in low-leverage situations. He’ll initially be eased into a middle-relief role, but could work his way into higher-leverage spots, especially with Jose Alvarado suspended through October due to a PED violation.
“Probably we’d start with one-inning outings, maybe two,” Thomson said. “We’d begin with middle innings and gradually shift him toward the end of games, depending on how he performs. That’s the approach we used with Jeff Hoffman, and it worked well.”
Walker, who is earning \$18 million annually through 2026, is glad to be helping in any capacity after a rough 2024 season. And it’s not just about bouncing back — the Phillies have needed every inning he’s given them, especially with early-season injuries to Ranger Suarez and Nola.