Walker goes on disabled list, Turnbull returns to Phillies starting rotation, via NBC Sports Philadelphia
Taijuan Walker will be out of the Phillies starting rotation, at least temporarily.
Walker was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with inflammation in his right index finger, retroactive to June 22.
Spencer Turnbull returns to the Phillies’ starting rotation on Wednesday at Detroit against the team that drafted him in 2014, had several conflicts with him in 2023 and non-tendered him in November.
Right-hander Michael Mercado has been promoted from Triple-A to replace Walker and will pitch out of the bullpen.
Walker has been bothered by blisters on his right hand and has posted a disappointing 5.60 ERA in 10 starts, with mediocre control, declining velocity and the inability to throw his main out pitch, the splitter.
Walker’s fastball averaged just 90.3 mph in Friday’s game against the Diamondbacks, his lowest velocity of the season by nearly a mph. Overall this season, his four-seam fastball is averaging 91.6 mph and his sinker is averaging 91.1 mph, both higher than last year’s averages of 93.1 and 92.6 mph.
To make matters worse, the splitter, which held opponents to a .210 batting average last season while whiffing 24% of the time, is holding opponents to a .417 batting average this season while whiffing just 16.5% of the time.
“We don’t know,” manager Rob Thomson said when asked how long Walker will be out. “It all depends on whether he can throw the splitter. That’s what’s really affecting him. (The blister) doesn’t just affect him throwing the fastball. It affects him getting the ball between his fingers.”
“It’s been going on for a while. It’s been in and out. We really want to get it over with.”
The Phillies have an immediate replacement in the starting rotation in Turnbull, who served as the No. 5 starter until Walker returned from a sore shoulder in April. Turnbull was impressive in that role early in the season, going 2-0 with a 1.67 ERA in six starts. Since then, he’s pitched occasionally in long relief and one-sided games as he tries to find a rhythm in an unfamiliar position.
The transition hasn’t been easy for Turnbull, but he’ll now have a more natural role. Thompson plans to limit him to about 70 pitches on Wednesday. Turnbull threw 49 pitches in his most recent relief appearance on Friday.
It remains to be seen what will happen when Walker is ready to return. The Phillies owe him the remainder of his $18 million salary this season, plus another $36 million total in 2025-2026. They were hesitant to use him in last year’s playoffs, and he has fallen to at least fifth in their starting rotation.
Walker’s role also doesn’t offer much flexibility — he’s made one relief appearance in the past decade and takes longer to warm up than starters — which is why he was added to the postseason roster last October in case games go into extended extra innings.
Mercado has been performing well in Triple-A, allowing two runs or less in 13 of his 14 appearances. He has a 1.71 ERA and has pitched longer innings in his last three starts, throwing 91 pitches in his last two. With a 96-97 mph fastball, Mercado could pitch in long relief, but Thompson said he’d be comfortable pitching one inning because “his pitches are effective.”
