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New York Post
Phillies demote $72 million man Taijuan Walker to bullpen in ominous sign
By Matt Ehalt,
17 hours ago
The Phillies’ $72 million man is headed to the bullpen in what could be a final effort to try to salvage his standing with the team.
Ex-Met Taijuan Walker has been removed from Philadelphia’s rotation not even two years into the four-year, $72 million contract he signed in December 2022 amid extended struggles.
Walker is 3-6 with a 6.50 ERA spanning 14 starts this year, prompting the Phillies to make the move before starting Thursday’s four-game home series against the rival Braves.
The Phillies have lost Taijuan Walker’s last nine starts. AP
“I’m hoping his stuff will tick up, the velocity will tick up,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters . “He’ll get out there and just pound the ball through the zone.”
“It’s tough, you know? It’s baseball. Not a lot of things going my way right now, but the biggest thing is trying to keep my confidence, keep going,” Walker said after the Houston loss. “We’ve got a good team. The offense is really good. Just got to keep trusting in myself.”
Thomson said Walker handled the news like a “professional,” per the report, and they will ease the veteran into his new bullpen role.
Rookie Tyler Phillips is likely to start in Walker’s place Tuesday against the Blue Jays, and Thomson said whoever makes that start will receive at least two outings to determine future steps, per MLB.com.
“The perfect situation would be one inning, low leverage, and then start building from there,” Thomson said of Walker’s bullpen role.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson hopes Walker’s stuff will play up in the bullpen. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
This move also raises questions about Walker’s future with two years and $36 million remaining on the contract he signed before last season.
Some questioned the deal at the time and Walker responded by going 15-6 with a 4.38 ERA last season.
However, the team left him off the postseason roster and is now removing him from the rotation.
The time and money remaining on his deal after 2025 will factor into any decision.
“I feel for him because he’s put so much time and effort into this thing,” Thomson said. “He’s worked extremely hard. Long toss, weighted balls, light balls — all kinds of stuff. He’s not the same guy that he was. And, hopefully, with work over the offseason and the rest of the season, we get that velocity back and that stuff back.
“The program that he was on to try and gain velocity, we didn’t have enough time. Like, that program’s a long program, and we sort of cut the program off early. I think if he has a full offseason of that program, we got a better chance of seeing some improvement.”
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