The Phillies introduced this morning that they’ve positioned right-hander Taijuan Walker on the 15-day injured listing resulting from irritation in his proper index finger. Proper-hander Michael Mercado was recalled to the majors in a corresponding transfer. Mercado’s first look might be his massive league debut.
Walker, 32 in August, has had a tough 2024 season as he’s handled each accidents and ineffectiveness. A shoulder impingement delayed his season debut till the tail finish of April, and he’s struggled significantly in ten begins since then. The righty sports activities a 5.60 ERA and 5.77 FIP general on the season, figures which are 37% and 40% worse than the league common respectively. Simply two of Walker’s ten appearances have been high quality begins, and opponents have batted an eye-popping .278/.353/.511 in opposition to him in seven begins courting again to Might 16. In different phrases, Walker’s opponents have teed off in current weeks to attain outcomes roughly similar to these Guardians star Jose Ramirez (.271/.330/.528) has posted this season.
Walker’s struggles got here to a head Friday night time in opposition to the Diamondbacks, when the righty allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and three walks throughout simply 4 innings of labor whereas placing out solely three batters. Supervisor Rob Thomson informed reporters (as famous by MLB.com’s Harm Tracker) yesterday that Walker was coping with a “scorching spot” on his finger and urged that the problem has “been in all probability occurring for some time.” Particularly, Thomson urged that the damage might have impacted the efficacy of Walker’s splitter. The splitter was Walker’s mostly used pitch final yr, when he threw it 33.2% of the time based on Statcast. That utilization has dropped to simply 17.4% in 2024, and MLB.com notes that he’s thrown the pitch simply sixteen instances complete over his previous two begins.
That drop in utilization has corresponded with a drop in efficacy. 2023 noticed opposing hitters hit simply .205 in opposition to Walker’s splitter, with a .295 slugging share and a .257 wOBA. These robust outcomes are a far cry for what the right-hander has produced with the pitch this yr, as opponents have hit a whopping .426 with a .704 slugging share and a wOBA of .477. That .426 determine is the very best common allowed by Walker on any pitch this yr, in sharp distinction to final yr the place his splitter boasted a decrease common in opposition to than any pitch in his repertoire apart from his rarely-used sweeper.
Given the truth that Walker’s finger concern has seemingly impacted his means to throw his most necessary pitch, it’s hardly a shock that the right-hander has suffered such excessive difficulties so far within the season. Going ahead, the Phillies will sit the righty down for a minimum of the following two weeks with a view to give the irritation time to cool down. It’s certainly a reasonably straightforward resolution for Philadelphia to not have Walker proceed to try to play by way of the problem given the presence of right-hander Spencer Turnbull. Turnbull has been glorious for the membership this yr whereas swinging between the rotation and the bullpen, with a 2.63 ERA and three.57 FIP in 51 1/3 innings throughout 16 appearances (six begins).
Whereas Turnbull has not began a sport since late April, the righty threw 49 pitches in his most up-to-date outing on Friday and figures to have the ability to step into the rotation and provide the Phillies stable manufacturing in Walker’s stead. That leaves the lengthy aid position out of the bullpen to Mercado, who is ready to interchange Walker on the membership’s roster. Mercado was the Rays’ second-round choose within the 2017 draft however didn’t make an look on the massive league stage with the membership earlier than being traded to the Phillies again in November. Philadelphia swiftly positioned Mercado on their 40-man roster and despatched him to Triple-A to open the season, the place he’s excelled with a 1.71 ERA and a 22.8% strikeout charge in 47 1/3 innings of labor cut up between the rotation and bullpen on the stage.