The Philadelphia Phillies have the starting rotation they envisioned at the beginning of the season, now that Ranger Suarez has returned from the injured list.
Philadelphia aggressively tried to add another starter this offseason to complete its rotation, eventually trading for Jesús Luzardo. Suarez’s absence due to injury led to former All-Star Taijuan Walker retaining his role in the rotation, and he’s performed well, but now Walker will be transitioned into the bullpen.
Walker broke his silence on transitioning to the bullpen, emphasizing his inability to know he will be pitching, as shared by Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I don’t think there’s any really way to approach it, because I don’t really control when I pitch,” Walker said. “The only thing I do is be ready to pitch whenever. It’s definitely going to change. When you know when you’re pitching, you can build out a routine for four or five days so it makes it easier.”
“But I guess now it’s just kind of figure out my stretching routine and just really lock in and get ready, and stuff like that.”
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Walker had his worst season of his career last year, but has been dealing early on this season. The former All-Star has a 2.54 ERA with 22 strikeouts across 28.1 innings this season. Moving to the bullpen will be a big change for the veteran hurler, who has rarely pitched outside of starts in his 13-year career.
Walker might not be ecstatic about his new role, but he may be just what the Phillies’ bullpen needs. The bullpen is a clear need for Philadelphia, and though Walker doesn’t know when he’ll pitch, he could be the long man in the bullpen that the team has needed for a couple of years.
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