Taijuan Walker's role uncertain but Phillies might need him anyway originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
After three seasons in Philadelphia, Taijuan Walker remains one of the harder players on the roster to evaluate. Brought on to bring stability to the rotation, he’s been serviceable at times and frustrating at others. Now, he enters 2026 in a gray area between reliable and replaceable.
An average start
When the Phillies signed Walker to a four-year, $72 million deal in December 2022, the expectations were clear. He was coming off his best season in the bigs — a 3.49 ERA across 29 starts for the Mets — and was expected to be a steady option behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.
In his first year in Philadelphia, Walker largely held up his end. He tallied 15 wins and logged 172 ⅔ innings, both career highs. But when October came, the Phillies failed to give him the ball one time across 13 postseason games that year. This expressed the questionable trust the organization had in the right-hander.
Underwhelming results since
Injuries and inconsistency followed. Walker battled injuries throughout 2024 and in 2025, he shifted between the rotation and bullpen. He made 21 starts and 13 relief outings, finishing with a 4.08 ERA and a 108 ERA+ — eight percent better than league average.
The tough reality has always been who Walker succeeds against. Since arriving in Philadelphia, Walker has a 6.67 ERA in 21 starts against playoff teams, with opponents hitting .306. Against non-playoff opponents, he owns a 4.17 ERA across 46 starts. For a club with postseason aspirations every season, that split is challenging to ignore.
The outlook for 2026
With Zack Wheeler recovering from thoracic outlet surgery and expected to miss around the first two months, the Phillies’ rotation remains unsettled. Ranger Suárez’s return in free agency appears unlikely, leaving Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola as the only locks for 2026.
Top prospect Andrew Painter is inching closer to the Majors after missing two full seasons with a torn UCL. He returned in 2025 but struggled across 26 starts between Single-A and Triple-A, posting a 5.49 ERA. The organization still believes in his upside, but command remains a concern — he averaged 3.6 walks per nine innings — which could make it tough to hand him a rotation spot out of Spring Training.
Walker’s situation feels similar to Marcus Stroman’s with the Yankees last season. Stroman, in the final year of an $18 million deal, opened the year in the rotation largely out of necessity after injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil. The results were uneven, but the Yankees had little choice but to ride it out until reinforcements arrived.
Where he fits, the path forward
Given the Phillies’ current rotation outlook, Walker could stick around out strictly out of need. He’s owed $18 million in the final year of his deal, and with the front office unlikely to spend heavily on another starter, his ability to take the ball every fifth day might keep him in the mix by default.
His limitations are obvious, but his value lies in stability. If he gives the Phillies 15-to-20 starts with an ERA around 4.00, that’s enough to steady the back end until Wheeler returns and Painter is ready.
If another team calls looking for pitching depth, Philadelphia could explore a trade while covering part of the salary. But for now, keeping Walker as a short-term bridge makes the most sense.
