Taijuan Walker will return to starting rotation for Phillies

Taijuan Walker is slated to start for the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, marking his return to the rotation less than a month after many believed he had made his final outing in red pinstripes. He’ll do so on a day where the Phillies may be trying to clinch their first NL East title since 2011.

Rob Thomson told the media in Milwaukee Monday — including MLB.com‘s Todd Zolecki — that Walker will start for the Phillies on Thursday against the New York Mets. The announcement comes a couple days after Walker tossed three scoreless innings in relief, allowing the Phillies to come back and defeat the Mets.

Walker’s most recent start came on Aug. 28 against the Houston Astros, a game where he allowed 13 hits and six earned runs over six innings in an eventual 10-0 loss. It was a game that was over early, and Walker was kept in an attempt to keep the bullpen fresh. That followed a start in Kansas City where Walker allowed eight hits and six earned runs over just three innings.

But while many thought the Phillies might just rip the band-aid off and designate Walker for assignment, they instead decided to move him to the bullpen. Obviously, being in just the second season of a four-year/$72 million deal impacted that decision. Walker has made three relief appearances since being moved to the bullpen, and has a 4.50 ERA to show across eight innings of work.

Really what this comes down to is the Phillies having exhausted all alternatives to Walker. Three pitchers have toed the rubber for the Phillies in the No. 5 spot since Walker was removed, and they’ve all struggled mightily.

• Tyler Phillips on 9/3 vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Eight hits, six earned runs, two home runs allowed over 2/3 of an inning pitched

• Seth Johnson on 9/8 vs. Miami Marlins: Eight hits, nine earned runs, one home run allowed over 2 1/3 innings pitched

• Kolby Allard on 9/14 vs. Mets: Five hits, three earned runs, three walks allowed over three innings pitched

Certainly, there’s a case to be made that the Phillies should have given Allard another opportunity, given that he has a 4.29 ERA across 21 innings pitched for the team this season. That’s not particularly good, but it’s better than the 6.29 ERA over 78 2/3 innings pitched that Walker has.

Ultimately, the fifth starter will be a moot point when the postseason rolls around. The Phillies better hope that in the meantime, a lack of a capable option at the back of the rotation doesn’t hurt their chances to earn the No. 1 seed in the NL playoffs.

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