Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker is heading to the bullpen. The 32-year-old has had a poor season this year and will look to figure things out in the bullpen as a likely long-man reliever. Walker is in the middle of a four-year, $72 million contract that he signed prior to the 2023 season. The Phillies have given the veteran chance after chance, but he’s been unable to live up to their expectations.
Walker is 3–6 with a 6.50 ERA in 14 starts this season. Opponents are batting .310 against him. He’s 0–5 with 27 earned runs and 42 hits allowed in his last 33 innings. His last start was on August 28 when he allowed 13 hits and six earned runs in six innings pitched. The Phillies went on to lose 10–0 to the Houston Astros. Walker is coming off a 15-win season for the Phillies in 2023. His ERA was still high at 4.38, but he kept the Phillies in ball games and gave the team chances to win.
Walker’s Journey to the Bullpen
Phillies fans have grown restless toward Walker going back to last season. Walker didn’t see any postseason action with the Phillies in a year that the team was one win short of back-to-back World Series appearances. It was a frustrating time for everyone, including Walker himself. The Philadelphia faithful have let Walker hear their displeasure with him all season. The boo birds rained down on him multiple times throughout the season during his starts.
The Phillies hope Walker can figure things out while working out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. The organization still owes him $36 million over the next two years. He needs to recapture his All-Star level form or else this signing could go down as one of the worst contracts in Phillies history. Walker was slated to start on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The hometown kid from New Jersey, Tyler Phillips, is a likely call-up candidate to replace Walker in the starting rotation. Left-hander Kolby Allard is also an option to re-enter the starting rotation once he’s eligible to return to the major league roster on September 10.
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