Mar 15, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Phillies once were on the precipice of considering Taijuan Walker a sunk cost and letting him go and eating two-plus years of his salary.
They thought about it. They weighed all the options. And ultimately, despite calls to never use him again, they decided to hang onto him -- in case of emergency.
Good thing they did.
In 2025, he was crucial to the Phillies getting off to a good start and holding down a rotation spot until Ranger Suarez was back healthy and ready to go.
He later filled in to the rotation again when Aaron Nola went on the shelf, and then when Wheeler was lost for the season in August.
Walker wasn't blowing anyone's doors off, but he was keeping the Phillies in games, a vast improvement from 2024 when he wasn't even useable.
He finished 2025 with a 4.08 ERA across 123 2/3 innings that included 21 starts and 13 relief appearances.
And now, he's back for the final year of his four-year, $72 million contract, and again the Phillies need him - at least for a few starts at the beginning of the season.
Although Zack Wheeler is moving along nicely in his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome, he's not going to join the team until at least some time in April.
Which means the Phillies will need Walker to once again hold down a spot in the rotation, until their ace is ready.
And if Walker keeps pitching like he has this spring, it should be a seamless transition.
Walker threw five shutout innings on an efficient 60 pitches in the Phillies 1-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves at BayCare Ballpark on Sunday.
Taijuan Walker today-
5 IP 3H 0R 2BB 8K
Between this start and his last WBC start, Tai has looked real good.
pic.twitter.com/S31tuycIqi
Walker has a six-pitch arsenal, but the pitch he threw the most was his slider, throwing it 15 times. That's a far cry from the guy who arrived here four years ago leaning heavily on the splitter/cutter mix.
"I've just been trying to work on it to add that extra pitch -- kind of a swing-and-miss pitch to righties. To righties I've been mostly cutter-splitter and I think a lot of teams know that. So just adding that pitch that goes away from them instead of coming in, it's kind of been a big weapon for me. I've been able to throw it early and late (in a count)."
Only two of the 15 sliders were put into play, and they were with very weak contact - with an average exit velocity of just 69.9 mph.
Walker said he's tinkered with it a little bit to throw it more like a curveball, so it's only averaging 80 mph now.
That said, with the way he's gripping it and releasing it, he's better able to control it and throw it for strikes, which is the key.
It helps the cutter be more effective and generate swing and miss there as well, as now he's showing hitters, especially righties, more options.
What Walker's role will be after Wheeler returns is the great unknown. Health and success of his fellow pitchers will ultimately dictate if he stays int he rotation or moves to the bullpen.
You never get through a season with just five (or even six) starters, and the Phillies depth at the position isn't the greatest. But as long as he's performing, the Phillies will trust him in some capacity, regardless of the role.
Although Walker thinks of himself -- and always has -- as a starter.
If you include his start for Team Mexico in the WBC, Walker has made three starts this spring and has yet to allow a run, while only giving up two hits in 10 1/3 innings of work.
"He was great," manager Rob Thomson said. "Outstanding. He filled up the strike zone. His slider was good. The [splitter] was good. His fast ball sat 91-92 and touched 93 so, I thought he was great.
"He's getting some swings and misses (with the slider), so it's good and he tends to like it. He's got confidence in it."
Conversely, the Phillies have confidence in him.
And that's a sentence that certainly wouldn't have been written 18 months ago.
