What are Philadelphia Phillies Going to Do With Taijuan Walker?

The Philadelphia Phillies could have a major problem on their hands in the starting rotation if something doesn't get figured out quickly.

May 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Oracle Park. / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Something happened to the Philadelphia Phillies this week that hasn't happened in a while.

Not only did they lose their first series since the beginning of April after dropping two of three against the lowly Colorado Rockies, but they followed it up with their first back-to-back losses in over a month after dropping the opener against the San Francisco Giants on Monday.

The Phillies have now lost three out of their last four games, something that hasn't happened since their first four games of the season.

That shows how good this team has been so far to start the year, earning them the best record in baseball and on pace to put up a historically good season.

However, it also shows they might be hitting the wall a bit.

There will be stretches where they struggle over the course of 162 games, but losing the way they have to teams like the Rockies and Giants has reminded everyone in the clubhouse of how things can get off course quickly.

One player who desperately needs to find himself for Philadelphia is Taijuan Walker.

The right-handed starter got off to a slow start after hitting the injured list to start the year. His 5.51 ERA suggests that as he hasn't quite been sharp enough to limit damage.

The Phillies moved their stand-in starter Spencer Turnbull to the bullpen after Walker was healthy enough to return, despite the fact Turnbull was putting together a fantastic season with a 1.67 ERA prior to his role change.

$18 million per year is going to paid out to Walker until 2027, meaning Philadelphia has to hope their past free agent addition finds himself again.

If not, there are real question marks about what they should and would do with the righty.

He already didn't appear in a single playoff game last season, something that didn't sit well with him. But this is a performance based game, and if the manager and team can't trust someone to perform then it makes no sense to throw them out there if other options are available.

The Phillies had that luxury in the playoffs with shorter series, but they don't have it right now.

Walker will certainly be in the rotation moving forward if he can stay healthy.

But, if he continues to struggle, then he could find himself on the sidelines during the postseason once again.