The Philadelphia Phillies came into Spring Training with a stable rotation. Zack Wheeler enters the season ready to reprise his role as the team’s ace. Christopher Sánchez, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez form a solid middle of the rotation and Jesús Luzardo has big expectations after an offseason trade with the Miami Marlins.
But like many teams, those plans could be flipped upside down due to injury. The Phillies received that news on Wednesday when Rob Thomson revealed that Suárez is dealing with a stiff back and the injury could open the door for a rotation candidate to make the team.
Ranger Suárez’s Injury Could Help Taijuan Walker Make Phillies Roster
Thomson addressed reporters on Wednesday and explained why the team had not released their rotation ahead of the season-opening series against the Washington Nationals. While Suárez was dealing with a stiff back, Thomson stated it wasn’t as bad as the injury that caused him to miss a month last season and the next 24-48 hours will be used for evaluation.
“Ranger’s got a little stiff back. So we’ll hold him back” Thomson said via On Pattison’s John Foley. “That’s why we haven’t announced anything on the rotation, who’s pitching when, who’s got the home opener and all that stuff.”
Losing Suárez would be a big blow to the Phillies’ rotation. The southpaw enjoyed his first All-Star campaign last year, going 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA in 27 starts and is currently projected to man the fourth spot in the rotation according to FanGraphs’s depth chart.
But if he’s not ready to go by the start of the season, it creates an opportunity for Taijuan Walker. Walker entered an important spring coming off 2024 where he went 3-7 with a 7.10 ERA in 19 appearances (15 starts). The 32-year-old has looked like a different pitcher, however, with the aid of a weighted ball program that has helped him increase his velocity from 91.2 mph last season to around 94 mph during Grapefruit League action.
Walker had his worst start of the spring, allowing three home runs and six runs in Wednesday’s 9-7 loss to the New York Yankees but was on track to make an Opening Day roster somewhere. The right-hander, who is in the third year of a four-year, $72 million contract, was considered a potential trade candidate prior to the start of the season and could even start the year in the bullpen although he has just eight relief appearances over his 12-year career.
It’s a future that depends on the severity of Suárez’s back injury and could give Philadelphia’s roster an unexpected wrinkle before they open the year in Washington on March 27.