Taijuan Walker gets rocked again as Phillies try to salvage his $36 million in salary with a new pitch

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Taijuan Walker slapped his plate down on the table, two bites already taken from the cheeseburger. It was Saturday, and he’d just thrown his sharpest bullpen session in more than a year, with manager Rob Thomson and pitching coach Caleb Cotham looking on, recording every motion. He’d hit 94 mph on his fastball, then concentrated on his new slider grip. Afterward, Thomson testified that the computers said it was the best set of sliders of any Phillies bullpen session this spring, including Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.

Walker had killed it, and he was feeling his oats: “Everybody was watching. Had to put out a good one.”

He’s struggled in his previous spring outing but everything was trending in the right direction.

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Then he took the mound Monday in the Phillies’ spring training finale against the Rays.

Seventy-four pitches and nine outs later, he’d given up four runs, six hits, and three walks. He threw 88 pitches in his four innings.

That means he gave up 15 hits, 10 earned runs, three home runs, and five walks with just three strikeouts in his final two spring starts, which spanned 7⅔ innings.

Somehow, Walker was not disappointed Monday. After the first inning, he said, the new slider was tight. He threw it about half the time.

“The goal was to try and throw it as much as possible, to kind of see where it’s at,” Walker said.

It was mostly put in play, and sharply.

“It was inconsistent today,” Thomson said, “but what I saw in the ‘pen the other day was fantastic. So, it’s got to transfer to the game.”

Walker throws a cutter, which has a setup and delivery generally similar to that of his new, sweeping slider. The new grip better delineates the slider grip for the cutter grip, explained Cotham.

“Two years ago, he tried a sweeper,” Cotham said. “It was pretty flat, pretty slow — not too dissimilar from other guys who also throw a cutter. Just getting grip away from his cutter grip so he has the best chance to have some depth and separation.”

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The idea, Cotham said, is to complement his split-finger fastball, especially when he begins the slider low and in the middle of the plate. “The pitch goes away from a righty,” Cotham said, “to protect his splitter.”

The Phillies hope that the new pitch will help Walker revive his career after his worst season in 2024; his 7.10 ERA was the worst in baseball among pitchers with at least 60 innings. He’s owed $36 million for 2025 and 2026, so they’d love to either get their money’s worth from him or convince another team to trade for him.

As it stands, a back injury to Ranger Suárez will assure Walker at least a couple of starts at the beginning of the season. The Phillies have two early off days, so Walker won’t start the first time through the rotation. He might pitch out of the bullpen before his first start, Thomson said, but he’ll have lots of time to refine his new slider.

Back to work.

The best news from the spring came from the bottom of the lineup and payroll.

Bryson Stott, the elbow injury that hindered him last year resolved, had an .859 OPS in 18 spring games. He walked 10 times and struck out six times. Brandon Marsh, the twitchy, streaky outfielder who struggled against left-handers last season, finished the spring at .822. He walked 12 times and struck out seven times.

Stott and Marsh usually will hit eighth and ninth, respectively. If they can get on base and turn the lineup over for the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper, the Phillies’ offense should flourish.

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Left-handed reliever Matt Strahm, coming off shoulder soreness, was scheduled to pitch Monday but was scratched when he tore his left middle fingernail while packing. The finger was encased in a full-length soft cast-type bandage Monday afternoon. Predictably, Strahm took a measure of glee showing off just which digit was affected.

Strahm said he would be available for Thursday’s opener.

Thomson, who joined the Phillies as a coach in 2018, said the current group of Phillies minor-leaguers is “the best group of prospects since I’ve been here.”

The group is led by starting pitcher Andrew Painter, but Thomson said he was impressed by shortstop Aidan Miller, center fielder Justin Crawford, outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., infielder Otto Kemp, as well as a former first-round pick who struggled last year at triple A: “Mick Abel’s back on the radar for me.”

Abel had a rough outing against Boston on March 11, but pay attention to that one.

Using their alternate lineup, the Phillies scored three runs in the first inning en route to the win that left them at 15-13 in Grapefruit League play.

The regular lineup puts left-handed hitter Schwarber at leadoff, right-hander Turner second, Harper third, and Alec Bohm fourth, which was the lineup that helped the Phillies win 95 games and the NL East last season.

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In the alternate lineup used Monday, Turner led off, followed by Harper, Bohm, and Schwarber. Thomson said he will not commit to a consistent lineup until well into the season.

The regulars all left the game after two plate appearances and were done for the spring by the top of the fourth inning.

No. 4 starter Cristopher Sánchez threw a simulated game against Phillies minor-leaguers Monday morning. He threw 79 pitches, hit 97 mph on the radar gun, and displayed an effective changeup. ... Joe Ross, signed as a $4 million free-agent long reliever, hit 96 mph Monday and has been effective enough to vie for higher-leverage roles, Thomson said. ... Monday’s sellout crowd of 8,324 pushed the Phillies’ spring attendance to 138,515, fourth-best in team history.