Phillies move veteran starter Taijuan Walker to bullpen

Reuters02-06-2025

June 2 - 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.
--Field Level Media

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Tens of millions in US face dangerously hot weather in rare June heatwave

The Guardian

35 minutes ago

The Guardian

Tens of millions in US face dangerously hot weather in rare June heatwave

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