CUSTOM WORK HERE

×
Top Stories
Brittany Lang joins U.S. as assistant captain for Solheim CupOilers' 'complete focus' is on keeping Panthers from Stanley Cup repeatJapanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dies at 89Charlie Woods rockets up rankings, eligible for Junior PlayersReports: Dodgers signing veteran RHP Jose UrenaVikings great Jim Marshall dies at 87Diamondbacks ace Corbin Burnes (elbow) lands on ILKnicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasonsMVP money: SGA could net $890K-per-game contract; Luka, Jokic up for raise, tooYankees reinstate 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., RHP Fernando Cruz from ILEagles first-round pick Jihaad Campbell idle until AugustLiving a dream, Luke Clanton set for debut at RBC Canadian OpenMasters raising ticket prices after secondary market crackdownAusten Truslow edges Luke Poulter in U.S. Open qualifier playoffBraves hire ex-skipper Fredi Gonzalez to fix 3B coaching woesRobert MacIntyre staying positive ahead of RBC Canadian OpenTexans QB C.J. Stroud (shoulder) limited at OTAsJohn Deere renews commitment as title sponsor through 2030Flyers ink F Noah Cates to 4-year, $16M contractReport: WR Gabriel Davis to visit Steelers

Phillies move veteran starter Taijuan Walker to bullpen

By MLB Premium News Jun 2, 2025 | 12:36 AM

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.