With Zack Wheeler set to make his long-anticipated season debut on Saturday following thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in September 2025, the Phillies made their first significant roster move of the year Thursday morning, releasing struggling starting pitcher Taijuan Walker ahead of the series finale against the Cubs.
Walker, whose season has been memorable for all the wrong reasons, struggled across four starts and one relief appearance. Over 22⅔ innings, he allowed 25 runs, 23 of them earned, the most in MLB.
He finishes his brief stint this season with a 1–4 record and a 9.13 ERA.
“He was very thankful for the opportunity to be here, he wishes it would’ve turned out differently,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “We know, and he knows, that he gave every effort he possibly could to try to get people out. It just wasn’t working.”
The move comes in the final year of the four-year, $72 million deal Walker signed with the Phillies prior to the 2023 season. For 2026, he is still owed the remainder of his $18 million salary.
Now 33, Walker has seen his velocity gradually dip since the 2021 season. This year, his average fastball sat at just 91.8 mph, ranking in the 16th percentile among Major League pitchers.
The Phillies will now turn the page and look to stabilize a rotation that has struggled to find consistency early in the season.
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