Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker is being shifted from the starting rotation to the bullpen as the team retools its pitching staff.
“I think Tai’s got a chance to make us a lot better coming out of the ‘pen,” manager Rob Thomson told reporters Sunday.
Following a 5-2 loss to the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, the Phillies’ bullpen carried a collective 4.65 ERA, the sixth-worst mark of any bullpen in the majors.
Walker, 32, is in his third season with the Phillies following stays with the Seattle Mariners (2013-16, 2020), Arizona Diamondbacks (2017-19), Toronto Blue Jays (2020) and New York Mets (2021-22). Walker was 2-4 with a 3.53 ERA over 10 games (eight starts) this season.
He threw three shutout innings to earn his first career save May 7 in a 7-0 win at the Tampa Bay Rays. Thomson said that the team will try Walker as a one-inning reliever.
Philadelphia tapped rookie Mick Abel to start Thursday at the Toronto Blue Jays in Walker’s place. A 2020 first-round draft pick (15th overall), Abel made his MLB debut May 18 against the Pittsburgh Pirates; he scattered five hits and threw nine strikeouts without a walk in six shutout innings en route to a win.
The Phillies also recalled right-handed reliever Seth Johnson and designated right-hander Jose Ruiz for assignment.
Johnson, 26, made his major league debut last September in a start against Miami and was shelled for nine runs on eight hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched for the Phillies since, and he was 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in 16 games (four starts) for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year.
Ruiz, 30, was 1-0 with an 8.16 ERA in 16 bullpen appearances in 2025.