Taijuan Walker is moving to the bullpen and Wednesday could very well have been his last start in a Phillies uniform.
Manager Rob Thomson announced the decision Thursday afternoon, a day after Walker was lit up for six runs and a career-high 13 hits in a 10-0 loss to the Astros.
"Tai's moving to the bullpen. Probably a long man," Thomson said. "There's a transition there that you've got to do. Once he gets down there, the perfect situation would be one inning, low leverage and then start building him from there."
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Walker went 3-6 with a 6.50 ERA in 14 starts. He has a 9.17 ERA since returning from a seven-week stint on the injured list and his opponents have hit .377/.435/.688. He wasn't missing bats, generating weak contact or inspiring any confidence that a turnaround was imminent.
"He's not the same guy that he was," Thomson said. "Hopefully the work over the offseason and the rest of the season, he gets that velocity back and stuff back. … Maybe he was just trying to do too much when he gets into a game because he probably knew what was on the line."
Walker has pitched this season with a diminished fastball and splitter. In 2023, the splitter held opponents to a .210 batting average and 15 extra-base hits. This season, the opposition hit .386 off Walker's splitter with as many extra-base hits in 179 fewer at-bats.
The 32-year-old is owed approximately $3 million the rest of this season, $18 million in 2025 and $18 million in 2026. It's a ton of money, but at this point, it seems 50-50 that he'll be in the Phillies' future plans. They're in win-now mode and if his stuff doesn’t improve, they won't want to waste a rotation spot just because the cost is sunk.
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If the Phillies were to release Walker after the season while still on the hook for $36 million, it wouldn't be unprecedented. The Diamondbacks owed Madison Bumgarner $34 million when they released him last April.
Thomson said "sure" when asked if Walker could still push for a rotation spot in spring training 2025.
"The program that he was on to try and gain velocity, that's a long program," he said. "We sort of cut the program off early. I think if he has a full offseason with that program, we've got a better chance at seeing some improvements."
Thomson did not reveal who will take Walker's spot in the rotation but it will likely be Tyler Phillips for at least two starts. When a pitcher is optioned to the minor leagues, he must remain there for at least 15 days unless there's an injury to the big-league club. Kolby Allard, "the guy that's pitched the best in that rotation spot," as Thomson said Thursday, is not eligible to be recalled until Sept. 10. Phillips can return to the majors this weekend.
If it is Phillips, he would line up to start Tuesday in Toronto and Sunday in Miami. At that point, the Phillies could turn back to Allard or stick with Phillips if he's pitching well.
Allard has a 3.50 ERA in four appearances (three starts) with the Phillies and allowed four runs in 14 innings with just two walks and 12 strikeouts his last three times out. Phillips has a 5.50 ERA in seven up-and-down starts.