Taijuan Walker will take his spot in the rotation
Rob Thomson confirmed what many were thinking today when he announced that Ranger Suárez will begin the season on the injured list and Taijuan Walker will make his first scheduled start on April 3rd.
Ranger Suárez will begin the season on the injured list, Rob Thomson said. Taijuan Walker begins the season as the No. 5 starter.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) March 23, 2025
Suárez is still dealing with back stiffness that he felt not long after his last Grapefruit League start on March 9th. The left-hander was sidelined with a similar injury last season for about a month in late July, although the team claims this particular injury isn’t as severe. He had been trending in the right direction as of yesterday, but the team still has elected to not rush it and allow him the extra time to get right.
Walker started his spring well before a dreadful performance in his last start on March 19th against the Yankees where he allowed 6 runs in 3.2 IP and left to loud boos. He will make his final spring appearance on Monday against the Rays in the Grapefruit League finale. Walker was in quasi-competition with Tyler Phillips for the long man tole out of the Phillies bullpen, but the later was DFA’d earlier today. Walker was limited to 19 appearances last season due to blister problems and overall ineffectiveness, as his 7.10 ERA and -1.6 WAR were among the worst marks in the Majors.
The Phillies have three off days among their first ten games of the season, so it remains to be seen just exactly how much they plan to deploy five starters to begin the year. But at least at the start, Taijuan Walker will be that fifth starter.