Phillies notes: Will Taijuan Walker make his next start?

PHILADELPHIA — Taijuan Walker won’t make his next start for the Phillies. He’s still going to pitch against the Cubs on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.

In an effort to combat Walker’s first-inning struggles, the Phillies will use a member of their bullpen as an opener to start the game during the veteran right-hander’s upcoming turn in the rotation, manager Rob Thomson said Sunday. Walker will enter after the opener, which will be determined later based on availability and matchups.

Walker, 33, has a 9.16 ERA through four starts and has allowed 11 earned runs in the first inning of his outings. He altered his routine in an effort to mitigate his issues in the opening frame in his last start, but he still gave up two runs in the top of the first on Friday.

Asked about the possibility of deploying an opener prior to Walker’s last start, Thomson noted that Walker would have to pitch a first inning of work at some point, even if it’s in the second. But maybe he’d find a bit more success if that came against the middle or bottom of the order instead of the top. The Phillies figure it’s worth a shot to try it out.

“We changed his process the last time so he could start the game,” Thomson said, “and now it’s just kind of trial and error. He’s just got to attack and not get behind in the count.”

Walker’s spot in the rotation past this Wednesday seems to be in jeopardy with ace pitcher Zack Wheeler (thoracic outlet syndrome) nearing a return. Wheeler made his fifth minor-league rehab start on Sunday and tossed four innings of four-run ball for Double-A Reading. His fastball velocity was around 90 to 93 mph, according to a minor-league source in attendance. He threw 77 total pitches on a 47-degree, damp afternoon.

“Considering how cold it was, I thought that was pretty good,” Thomson said.

Wheeler has enough time remaining on his rehab stint to make another appearance in the minors, but he could also come back to the majors if he feels up to it. He’d line up to start for the Phillies this weekend, if he’s ready. Thomson declined to say when Wheeler will be back since he needed to talk to the pitcher before any decision was made.

But whenever Wheeler makes his season debut, Walker will become the logical choice to get bumped from the rotation. The Phillies do not currently have a long reliever on the roster; Walker could fill that role, even if it’s not an ideal use of resources. Thomson said Sunday that he believes Walker will still have a deserving place on the big-league pitching staff once Wheeler arrives.

“We think he’s going to get better,” Thomson said.

The latest on J.T. Realmuto

Catcher J.T. Realmuto (lower back tightness) will be available “in an emergency” on Sunday night against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park, Thomson said. He’s out of the starting lineup after being removed from Saturday’s game.

“He’s still a little sore, so they’re checking him out right now,” Thomson said.

Thomson couldn’t rule it out for certain, but he did not think that Realmuto would require a stay on the injured list. The 35-year-old catcher has been one of Philadelphia’s more productive right-handed batters this season, hitting .280 with a .748 OPS in 16 games.

Notes

• Top prospect Aidan Miller (back) is doing “everything except for swinging,” according to Thomson. He’s been sidelined since February with this injury, but he’s now taking grounders and participating in baseball activities again. Thomson said the Phillies hope he can start taking swings this week, barring any setbacks.
• Otto Kemp was demoted to Triple-A on Saturday in favor of Felix Reyes, who hit a home run in the first at-bat of his major-league career. Kemp did not perform in the plate or in the field during his three-week stretch as Brandon Marsh’s platoon partner in left field.
  
  Thomson said that Kemp will get the majority of his playing time in left field back down in the minor leagues and will also spend some time at third base.
• The Phillies now have three players on the roster who wear glasses/goggles while they play in Reyes and pitchers Chase Shugart and Jesús Luzardo. Reyes wears them in the field but not at the plate.