Taijuan Walker DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Athletic's Matt Gelb reports that with the Philadelphia Phillies calling up right-handed pitching prospect Mick Abel to start on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays in the series finale, right-handed veteran Taijuan Walker will move back to the bullpen. The Phillies want to experiment with Walker as a one-inning reliever despite the fact that he's started eight of the 10 games he's appeared in this year. The 32-year-old veteran got off to a nice start for the Phillies in 2025 in a starting role at the back end of the rotation as an injury replacement, but he's allowed seven earned runs on 13 hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out eight in nine innings in his last two starts against the Rockies and Brewers. Despite his decent numbers, Walker has failed to complete five innings in half of his eight starts this year. He'll lose most of his limited fantasy upside with the move back to the bullpen in Philly.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker will make another start this Friday in the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, according to manager Rob Thomson. Right-hander Aaron Nola (ankle) isn't quite ready to return from the 15-day injured list, so Walker will stick around for another turn through the starting rotation at Citizens Bank Park. In his first start since May 1, Walker picked up his second win of the year on May 21 by allowing three earned runs in five innings while walking two and striking out two at the Colorado Rockies. The matchup against the Brewers is a good one -- they rank 25th in MLB with a .664 OPS -- and Walker has an ERA under 3.00 in his 39 1/3 innings pitched. While his 19.2% strikeout rate is an improvement over the last two years, it's still below-average, and his 3.76 FIP means some regression is likely coming.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker will return to the team's starting rotation for the series in Colorado against the Rockies that begins next Monday after the team placed right-hander Aaron Nola (ankle) on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a sprained right ankle, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb. In the meantime, pitching prospect Mick Abel will make his big-league debut and start on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. While a start at hitter-friendly Coors Field isn't ideal for his return to a starting role, Walker certainly deserves fantasy consideration off the waiver wire in deeper fantasy leagues after his strong bounce-back campaign so far for the Phils. The 32-year-old veteran has made eight appearances (six starts) and has only allowed 10 earned runs with 14 walks and 31 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. Walker should be in line for at least two more starts before Nola returns.