Struggling Phillies release veteran pitcher Taijuan Walker in series of roster moves
Taijuan Walker's days as a Philadelphia Phillie are officially over. The Phillies on Thursday released the veteran right-handed pitcher in a series of roster moves amid an eight-game losing streak.
The Phils also recalled righty reliever Nolan Hoffman from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and optioned Alan Rangel to the IronPigs.
Walker's release comes after he allowed five runs on eight hits in four innings in Philadelphia's 7-2 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.
The Phillies signed Walker to a four-year, $72 million contract in 2022 and the free-agent signing was a miss.
After a serviceable 2025, the 33-year-old had a disastrous start to the 2026 season. He was 1-4 in five games with a 9.13 ERA in 22 2/3 innings. Opponents hit .353/.417/.657 against him, which The Athletic's Jayson Stark found was nearly identical to Joe DiMaggio's slash line during the season of his record 56-game hitting streak.
Walker ends his Phillies career going 24-25 with a 5.12 ERA in 402 2/3 innings in 89 games.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters the team tried to trade Walker's contract "various times," but found no takers.
"We know and he knows that he gave every effort that he possibly could to try to get people out and it just wasn't working," Dombrowski added. "Maybe a change of scenery will help him."
Manager Rob Thomson said, "It's just all performance-based. I hope that people understand."
"We had a really good year out of him the first year (2023) with the 15 wins," Thomson added. "With the injuries we had last year, this guy took down 125 innings and basically helped us get to the playoffs."
Thomson praised Walker's presence and work ethic.
"He's one of the best teammates and one of the best people I've been around," Thomson said. "This guy's a pro, performance aside. He tried everything, being the opener and trying to get some velo back, which he did. It didn't work out, but it wasn't for a lack of effort on his part."
The 28-year-old Hoffman joins the Phillies' bullpen after allowing two runs in 7 2/3 innings with 14 strikeouts in seven appearances with the IronPigs this season. He made his major league debut last season with the Phillies after being acquired in a June trade.
Rangel struck out a career-high five batters and allowed one run on three hits in the Phillies' 7-2 loss Wednesday.
The Phillies will look to avoid being swept for the second straight series Thursday afternoon in Chicago before heading to Atlanta. Zack Wheeler makes his season debut Saturday night.
