Taijuan Walker’s time with the Philadelphia Phillies has been extremely hectic thus far. Despite being on the roster, the 13-year MLB veteran led the team with 15 victories in an anomalous 2023 season that saw him excluded from playoff action, much to Walker’s chagrin.
He had a terrible 2024 after that, with a disgusting 7.10 ERA in 83 2/3 innings, and he was benched again in October, this time to no one’s surprise. 2025 was the most important year for Walker as he entered the third year of his four-year, $72 million contract. In a pleasant surprise, he has responded to the Phillies’ need for an effective swingman.
The 2025 version of Taijuan Walker has been a revelation for the Phillies’ pitching staff
Walker’s 3.39 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 85 innings pitched this season are on track to be his best with the Phillies. Including a six-inning, one-run performance on Monday that kept the Phillies in the game long enough to defeat the Cincinnati Reds, he has given up three or fewer earned runs in each of his previous six outings.
According to Paul Casella of MLB.com, that start demonstrated just how significant Walker’s comeback has been for the Phillies’ pitching rotation without Aaron Nola.
After Monday’s 4-1 victory, Walker reportedly exclaimed, “I busted my butt in the offseason,” according to Casella. “I wanted to come back this year and just show that I worked hard and I was ready to get back in the rotation.”
Due to a right ankle sprain sustained during a rare IL stint on May 16, Nola has been out since then. Walker replaced Nola in the rotation after displaying bursts of genius in the bullpen. After a few spot starts by Mick Abel, he briefly moved back to the bullpen, but he has been in the rotation since early July.
Nola is currently with a few Phillies who are recovering for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He should shortly return to the team after making his third start on Tuesday night. This season, he has only made nine starts with the Phillies and has a 1-7 record, a 6.16 ERA, and 1.51 WHIP. When Nola returns,Unless they use a six-man rotation, it is very likely that Walker will relocate the bullpen once more.
When Walker was selected to spend the most of Nola’s innings without him, the fans naturally moaned. Walker was jeered during the Phillies’ home opening introductions just for being on the team’s Opening Day roster, after all. His play has led to an intriguing choice for the front staff to make in 2026, and he has silenced those fans and more.
Could the Phillies try to take advantage of Walker’s strong run by trading him with one year remaining on his contract, especially since Andrew Painter is in the running for the 2026 rotation? Although he would cost a lot of money, he might obviously be a good swingman to replace a rotational injury. We do know, though, that the Phillies have little justification for not including Walker on their postseason roster this year.