According to a report from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Philadelphia Phillies will have Taijuan Walker strictly pitch out of the bullpen once Aaron Nola returns. Nola is currently on the injured list with an ankle injury. Mick Abel made a spot start on May 18. Walker then subsequently started on May 21 in place of Nola. Per Gelb’s report, the team would like to have Walker in a set role. Phillies manager Rob Thomson told Gelb that Walker would not be used in a spot start situation after Nola comes back. The Phillies have a lot of 40-man roster starting pitching depth which allows them to do this. Furthermore, Seth Johnson moved to the bullpen at Triple-A Lehigh Valley because of that depth.
Some Phillies observations from a mile high …
Taijuan Walker’s contributions
Monitoring Jesús Luzardo
Late-game lefty strategy
A 2B platoonhttps://t.co/eLs3hhgpLw— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 22, 2025
Walker has a 2-3 record with a 2.97 ERA in nine outings this season, including one save. He has a 3.76 FIP and a 2.06 K/BB rate. Opposing batters have a .227 average and a .271 BABIP against Walker in 2025. He has improved his ERA from 7.10 last year and his FIP from 6.94 last year, and he’s improved his HR/9 allowed rate from 2.58 in 2024 to 0.69 in 2025. Walker has seen his strikeout rate improve by 4.0% and his walk rate improve by 0.4% relative to 2024 as well. The Phillies’ decision to keep Walker this offseason has worked out so far.
Phillies Will Move Taijuan Walker to Bullpen Once Nola Returns
Implications for High Leverage Spots
With the suspension of José Alvarado, it is possible the Phillies take this chance to have Walker pitch in high-leverage situations. Walker could be a third right-handed high-leverage relief option for the team along with Jordan Romano and Orion Kerkering. For now, at least, the Phillies will be using internal options to fill the void left by Alvarado’s suspension. Walker will probably return to a long relief role. However, it would not be a surprise if Walker gets some closing opportunities after this role change occurs.
Career Starting vs. Relief Splits
Walker has 216 career regular season starts and 10 career regular season relief appearances. As a starting pitcher, Walker has a 4.15 ERA and a 2.53 K/BB rate. For comparison, as a relief pitcher, Walker has a 4.25 ERA along with a 3.13 K/BB rate. Most of his career relief appearances have come in 2024 and 2025. At the end of the 2024 season, Walker moved to the bullpen because of struggles as a starter. Walker has made six of his 10 regular-season relief appearances in the last two seasons.
What Has Happened This Season
Walker has a 2.97 ERA and a 1.60 K/BB rate as a starter this season. Out of the bullpen, he has a 3.00 ERA and a 9.00 K/BB rate. Opposing batters have a .238 average against Walker when he is starting compared to a .182 average against when he is pitching in relief. He has a 1.38 WHIP as a starting pitcher compared to a 0.83 WHIP as a relief pitcher. To add, Walker has a 4.34 FIP as a starter compared to a 0.58 FIP as a reliever. He may have a better ERA as a starter, but in the limited sample size of relief appearances, things have gone well so far.
Photo Credit: © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
