The Philadelphia Phillies’ starting rotation received a significant boost on Wednesday as left-handed starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez returned to the mound after suffering left forearm stiffness and being pulled early in his previous start on April 22. Any lingering doubts about Sánchez’s health were immediately dispelled as the southpaw looked great in five innings and earned his third win of the season in the Phillies’ 7-2 triumph over the Washington Nationals.
With fellow left-hander Ranger Suárez making his first start of the season on Sunday, the Phillies now have six starting pitchers and five rotation places.
That being said, there’s a lot of speculation about what the Phillies intend to do with their excess of pitching. While it appeared like a no-brainer for the organization to release Taijuan Walker at the end of spring training, his relative success in six starts this season appears to have put an end to that argument.
Taijuan Walker’s success is pushing Phillies to make surprisingly tough rotation and bullpen decisions.
The sudden return of both Suárez and Sánchez to the starting lineup has created an interesting situation for manager Rob Thomson.
Much as last season, when Walker’s return from the IL sparked speculation about the team adopting a six-man rotation, Walker may find himself the odd man out if the team opts for the more conventional way this time.
Depending on who is reporting, the organization may use a six-man rotation in the future, but others, including as The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, believe Walker will join the Phillies bullpen.
Perhaps the reality lies somewhere in the center, but it’s still surprising that Walker’s place on the 26-man roster is no longer up for question. While his ultimate fate remains unknown, he deserves a lot of credit for putting in the effort this summer and demonstrating that he has figured out how to throw successfully again, despite a previously worrying drop in velocity.
Walker’s relative success is undoubtedly a stunning event, no matter how you look at it. And while many Phillies fans have approached each of Walker’s starts with a good dose of skepticism and on-brand fatalism, to Walker’s credit, he’s impressively shut out all the noise and has managed to deliver the Phillies largely excellent innings.
Without getting too carried away, Walker’s comeback story arc is supported by his overall numbers through six starts. We all know by now that Walker will never be the pitcher the Phillies expected when they signed him to a four-year, $72 million contract before the 2023 season, but with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in 28 1/3 innings this year, the prospect of sending him out for five innings is no longer as terrifying as it once was.
However, how the Phillies and manager Rob Thomson decide to go following Suárez’s start on Sunday is a mystery that will soon be solved. While a six-man rotation that includes Walker could help conserve the wear and strain on the team’s most gifted arms, other members of the rotation, such as staff ace Zack Wheeler, are notorious creatures of habit, preferring to start every fifth day.
If the Phillies decide to add Walker to an already crowded bullpen, they may have to option established arms like situational left-hander Tanner Banks or recently scuffed Orion Kerkering to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, or cut bait entirely with late spring training waiver claim acquisition Carlos Hernández.
And it will be intriguing to see what the Phillies do with Walker and his position in the future. Perhaps the franchise will try to bundle Walker’s recent success into a modest trade with a pitching-starved competitor, with the goal of meeting in the middle and splitting the cost of his remaining contract to provide the team with salary relief.
However, it is possible that Walker may continue in the rotation temporarily while the team constantly monitors the health of Suárez and top pitching prospect Andrew Painter. In any case, the Phillies might make a decision on Walker’s future as soon as this weekend.
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