Taijuan Walker
It has been a whirlwind of a season for starter Taijuan Walker so far. With a new season to prove to the Phillies and their faithful what they really have in him, the veteran has unfortunately had a rocky start. After making two horrendous starts during spring training, he was sidelined for a few weeks due to a right shoulder impingement and didn’t make his season debut until the end of April.
Since his return from the IL, Walker has failed to impress for the most part. He has compiled a career-high 5.33 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP, giving up 29 earned runs and 18 walks with 40 strikeouts in 49 innings of work. He has also been hit around a lot, giving up more hits (53) than total innings pitched.
With the top four of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez all rounding into form, Walker remains the weakest link in the rotation. If the Phillies intend to upgrade their pitching by the trade deadline, Walker could be a casualty from the roster crunch.
But even without getting external help, if Walker fails to improve in the coming weeks, Spencer Turnbull could take over Walker’s job given the success Turnbull had as a starter earlier in the season. Walker's fate could be determined in the coming six weeks.