Phillies move Taijuan Walker to new role in bullpen

PHILADELPHIA — Taijuan Walker has started 217 games in his 13 years in the big leagues and come out of the bullpen just 10 times as a long man. None of those relief appearances have been for three outs or fewer.

With the Phillies’ bullpen in flux and other rotation help available, manager Rob Thomson will ask Walker to enter new territory.

“I want to see him in a one-inning stint and see what he can do,” Thomson said.

Thomson announced Sunday afternoon that Walker will join the bullpen on a full-time basis — not as a mop-up man or a length option, but as one of his go-to arms. The 32-year-old will pitch in short spurts for the first time in his career. Philadelphia hopes it could provide a boost for a relief unit that’s looked especially thin in the aftermath of José Alvarado’s suspension.

“I think so,” Thomson said. “And again, I have a lot of confidence in all those guys. But I think Tai’s got a chance to make us a lot better coming out of the ‘pen.”

Walker has bounced back from a disaster 2024 campaign to be a contributor once again this season. He began the year in the rotation, became a long reliever for two outings when Ranger Suárez got healthy, then returned to starting when Aaron Nola hit the injured list in May. Walker has a 3.53 ERA in 10 games, but he’s only completed six innings one time, in his first appearance of the year against the lowly Rockies.

The Phillies will have former first-round pick Mick Abel, who dazzled in a spot start last month, come back up from Triple-A and fill Walker’s spot in the rotation, at least until Nola is activated. But that could still be a while, as Nola has indicated that he will likely need to go on a minor-league rehab stint whenever he’s able to take that next step in his recovery.

Abel will pitch Thursday in Toronto, Thomson said. He’s been excellent in the minors and went six scoreless innings in his major-league debut. He’s looked promising in 2025 after struggling previously in his career. The Phillies will need to make a roster move to add Abel this week; they called up reliever Seth Johnson from Lehigh Valley for some length and designated José Ruiz for assignment on Sunday.

Walker will now have a role that he can settle into, although it may not be the one he’d prefer. Thomson commended the veteran on his flexibility.

“He’s a pro,” Thomson said. “He really is. I’m sure he’s not 100% happy. I think he still thinks of himself as a starter, but he’s a pro, and I think he’s a guy that’ll do anything to help the team.”

The Phillies are going to stick to this plan with Walker, Thomson said. They became concerned about the risks that could come with moving him between roles. The bullpen clearly needed something, so Walker became the choice with Abel available to start.

“We’re just going to leave him there and see how he does,” Thomson said.

Walker doesn’t have a repertoire that would traditionally be seen from a one-inning reliever. He throws six different pitches and his fastball averages 92.3 mph. But Walker thinks that he can perform with a different look and maybe add some extra zip out of the bullpen.

“I’m pretty confident in my stuff, and with this new slider, I feel pretty confident,” Walker said after his last start on Friday. “If I just have one inning to blow it out, two innings, whatever it is, I feel like myself would play up just a little bit more, knowing that I got one inning to just let it eat.”

His arsenal is pretty different than Walker’s, but Thomson mentioned former Phillie Jeff Hoffman as an example of a starter who moved to the bullpen and found success. Philadelphia signed him to a minor-league contract in 2023 and he developed into an All-Star before signing with the Blue Jays this season.

The comparison is probably a stretch; it’s hard to imagine Walker turning into the Phillies’ best reliever the way Hoffman did. But the point stands that a player can benefit from some change. The team has plenty to gain if Walker can make the transition, too.

“You look at Hoffy,” Thomson said. “It changed his whole life, becoming a reliever and having the success he’s had, and it’s probably lengthened his career out. A lot of good things can happen from it.”