Philly Leader

Taijuan Walker's recent transition to the bullpen did not come as a shock to him. The veteran pitcher acknowledged his struggles this season during an interview at Citizens Bank Park.

“Obviously, I haven’t been pitching well,” Walker said. “I haven’t been doing my job. We’re getting to the last month of the season. These games matter -- every single game we play. I’m not surprised at all. I’ve just got to do a better job.”

Walker will serve as the Phillies’ long reliever for the remainder of the season and is not expected to pitch in high-leverage situations or potentially in the postseason.

If he does not appear in any postseason games, it will mark the second consecutive year he has missed out on playoff action despite signing a four-year, $72 million contract with Philadelphia in December 2022.

“Well, I mean, I guess it’s up to me,” Walker stated. “I have to show them that I can come out of the bullpen and be effective. I’m going to work really hard to do that. I want to be a part of it. It sucks not being a part of it and not helping the team. Anything I can do to help the team, whether it’s one inning, two innings, whatever they need, I’m going to go out there, do the best I can and try to be a part of it.”

Walker's future with the Phillies remains uncertain as he could be designated for assignment in the offseason. However, manager Rob Thomson suggested that Walker might return to a starting role next year if he benefits from an offseason training program aimed at increasing his velocity.

Walker noted that discussions about his future have yet to take place: “Obviously, we’re still trying to focus on this year,” he said.

Earlier this summer while on the injured list with right index finger inflammation, Walker participated in an abbreviated version of a velocity training program.

“We did it so quickly,” Walker remarked about his summer training regimen. “We did it for a month. You know, I thought it helped my splitter tick up a little bit -- that was a plus. But having a whole offseason of doing the program, I think it should help out.”

This season has seen Walker struggle significantly with a 3-6 record and 6.50 ERA over 14 starts including an 0-3 record and 9.17 ERA since returning from injury on August 13th.

The Phillies have lost each of his last nine starts.

“I’m getting another chance,” Walker concluded. “Obviously, me being in the rotation didn’t work out this year. I'm not saying that it still won’t but right now I need to focus on the bullpen.”