Phillies make drastic Taijuan Walker move after 17-run disaster
Taijuan Walker is headed to the bullpen.
The ex-Met is being shifted to a setup role as the Phillies shake up their starting rotation following a disaster outing from Jesus Luzardo, who gave up 12 runs in a 17-7 loss to the Brewers on Saturday.
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In addition to moving Walker to the bullpen, prospect Mick Abel will go into the rotation, Jose Ruiz was designated for assignment and reliever Seth Johnson was recalled from the minors.
Walker has made eight starts this season and come in twice as a long reliever, holding a 3.53 ERA over 43 ⅓ innings.
This will be the first time in his career that Walker — who's currently in year three of a four-year, $72 million deal — has regularly pitched out of the bullpen.
'He's a pro,' manager Rob Thomson told reporters. 'He really is. I'm sure he's not 100 percent happy. I think he still thinks of himself as a starter. But he's a pro. And I think that he's a guy that'll do anything to help the team.'
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3 Taijuan Walker pitches for the Phillies against the Brewers on May 30, 2025.
AP
3 Mick Abel pitches for the Phillies against the Pirates on May 18, 2025.
AP
Walker, who gave up four runs in four innings in his last start, told reporters on Friday that a move to the bullpen could be good for him.
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'If I have one inning to blow it out, whatever it is, I feel like my stuff would play up just a little bit more,' he said. 'Knowing that I got one inning, just let it eat.'
Abel, who made his MLB debut on May 18 with six scoreless innings, will start in Walker's place on Thursday against the Blue Jays.
3 Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo reacts after being removed from the game on May 31, 2025.
Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
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The plan is to keep this setup in place for the time being while Aaron Nola continues recovering from a sprained ankle, with his return expected in mid-June.
'I have a lot of confidence in all those guys,' Thomson said. 'But I think Tai's got a chance to make us a lot better coming out of the pen.'
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