The Philadelphia Phillies are beginning to see which players are off to good starts to the regular season and those who need to work on showing improvement. There are some surprises as to who is doing well, and even though the team carries a winning 8-5 record, there are some players by comparison who have begun the year in slumps.
Through the first two weeks of the 2025 season, the newest Phillies starter, left-hander Jesús Luzardo, has performed like a top arm in the rotation. He has arguably had their most unexpected performance because of how well he has done in three appearances. He has even started slightly better than ace Zack Wheeler in the early going of the season.
While Luzardo has impressed early, there are other Phillies who have also caught our attention and are playing themselves into more playing time, or at least they should be.
There are also some surprising names who are struggling to begin the year and are starting to deserve less playing time based on of their performances, and the Phillies' need to stay competitive in a tough NL East.
3 Phillies players who are already earning more playing time
Taijuan Walker
Taijuan Walker entered spring training in an interesting spot following Philadelphia's offseason trade for Luzardo. The veteran right-hander was not guaranteed a role in the starting rotation. Besides their latest acquisition, the organization had Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez and Wheeler penciled in as starters.
Walker had an up-and-down-spring training, and the only way it looked like he would receive consistent work as a starter was if there was an injury to one of the Phillies' starting pitchers. That happened, as Suárez suffered a back ailment before the start of the regular season, opening the year on the IL.
The 32-year-old has taken advantage of the opportunity presented to him early in the season. Walker dazzled in his first start of 2025, pitching six innings and holding the Colorado Rockies to only three hits. He did not allow any home runs and only surrendered one walk. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native also had four strikeouts.
The Atlanta Braves lineup presented a bigger challenge for Walker, despite the club's bad start to 2025. The right-hander allowed five hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings, more than his first start. However, he finished with no home runs allowed again and five strikeouts. More importantly, he didn't surrender any runs.
It's the first time Walker has pitched back-to-back scoreless outings since June 2023. He's now 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings on the young season.
He's gradually gaining confidence following last year's disastrous season. But with Suárez working his way back from his injury, manager Rob Thomson may have a difficult decision once the left-hander returns from the IL.
Do the Phillies go with a six-man rotation if all their starters are healthy, or will Walker move to the bullpen as a long reliever? If Walker can maintain his consistent level of play, the organization will be better off because their pitching will possess more depth.