Taijaun Walker's future with the Phillies remains uncertain. (Grace Del Pizzo/Phillies Nation) They happen quick. In the blink of an eye, a pitcher reports discomfort. Then, he’s on the shelf. Pitching injuries across baseball are rampant once again this spring. The list is long. Some of the more notable pitchers dealing with longer-term injuries include Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Grayson Rodriguez, George Kirby, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Cole will miss all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. Whether or not those pitchers’ respective teams look to acquire starting pitching depth is a fluid situation. Either way, it sparks an interesting conversation about Taijuan Walker. Walker’s future with the Phillies is up in the air. The team didn’t guarantee Walker anything heading into spring training. He’s competing for a roster spot. His likeliest path to making the Phillies’ Opening Day roster is in the bullpen. Walker, coming off one the worst seasons ever for a Phillies starter, is owed $36 million between this year and next. If the Phillies cut Walker, they’d owe him all $36 million. If they trade him, maybe to a club dealing with injuries to their own pitchers, they’d still likely have to eat most of the money he’s owed. In return, the club would probably get a minor-league player without a high pedigree. But, with the way pitchers are getting hurt across Arizona and Florida, keeping Walker wouldn’t be that bad of an idea. There’s no real upside in getting rid of him. And he’s looked good so far this spring. In two starts, both against the Blue Jays, Walker’s velocity has been higher than it was in 2024. On March 2, his four-seam fastball topped out at 93.9 mph and averaged 92.9 mph. On March 8, his four-seamer maxed out at 93.4 mph, averaging 92.4 mph. His splitter velocity is also up this spring; it’s sitting 86-88 mph. It wasn’t just a decrease in velocity that hurt Walker a season ago. But it contributed to his major downward spiral. While part of the conversation about what to do with Walker is the limited-to-no return the Phillies would get by trading or releasing him and how he’s looked so far, it doesn’t start there. Instead, it starts with the fact that injuries can happen out of nowhere. Depth is important to hold on to, even for the Phillies, who have done a nice job of keeping pitchers relatively healthy in recent years. After Walker’s last outing, manager Rob Thomson mentioned the importance of depth when speaking with reporters, including Paul Casella of MLB.com. “You’ve got to have depth,” said Thomson. “Knock on wood, we’ve been pretty fortunate the last couple years, but it’s always great to have depth.” Altogether, Walker has fired 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs – both on solo home runs – on six hits this spring. He has four strikeouts. He hasn’t walked a batter. Walker is sixth on the Phillies’ starting pitching depth chart, but one injury could change that. They have a spot open in the bullpen; another spot could open depending on how Matt Strahm rebounds from shoulder soreness. The Phillies have two weeks to decide on what to do with Walker. Putting him in the bullpen at season's start could make sense, although it would limit the number of relievers they’d be able to option to the minors. Orion Kerkering and Tanner Banks are the only two relievers likely to make the team that have options left. The front office may want to keep an open bullpen slot for a set of pitchers with options so they can be recycled throughout the season. But if Walker continues to look good, keeping him around, at least for the start of the season, would be a solid insurance policy for the Phillies’ starting rotation. Keeping him around doesn't guarantee they keep him all year. If he struggles, they could move on. If he succeeds, it'd obviously be helpful, even if it's just as a multi-inning reliever. Only time will tell if Walker is truly back to form. He can help a team if he is.
