The Philadelphia Phillies roster is mainly set entering the 2025 season but one of the competitions has been the fifth starter position. The Phillies believed they filled the opening by trading for Jesús Luzardo last winter but they received some good news when Taijuan Walker showed up to camp looking like a new pitcher.
With Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sànchez, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez locked into the rotation, it’s been the fifth spot that has been the focus of Spring Training. But while one pitcher’s chances of making the Opening Day roster has skyrocketed, another may be seeing his chances plummet with a poor Spring Training performance.
Taijuan Walker Catching Up To Jesús Luzardo for Phillies Fifth Starter Job
The fifth starter spot continues to revolve around Luzardo and Walker but not in the way Philadelphia has hoped. Luzardo hasn’t looked sharp in Grapefruit League action, allowing six earned runs over his first two outings. He also had an abysmal showing in Wednesday’s outing against the Detroit Tigers, allowing back-to-back-to-back home runs on three straight pitches.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson really watched his pitcher give up three home runs on three straight pitches while doing an in-game interview 😅pic.twitter.com/PBQAJf2r8d
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 5, 2025
The most interesting part about this sequence was that Phillies manager Rob Thomson was doing an interview on the ESPN broadcast when Luzardo served up all three homers. While some saw humor in the interaction, Thomson didn’t look amused, which is understandable considering what Walker has done during Spring Training.
Walker had one of the worst seasons by a Phillies pitcher in over a century last season but has looked like a different pitcher in camp. After undergoing a weighted ball program in the offseason, Walker’s fastball has flirted with 94 mph one year after posting an average fastball velocity of 91.2 mph according to Baseball Savant.
The 32-year-old has also been consistent during Spring Training, generating headlines with his first batting practice session of camp and looking sharp in his lone Grapefruit League outing, allowing two hits and a home run with a strikeout in a March 2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
This is where things get interesting. The Phillies gave up two prospects – shortstop Starylyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd – to acquire Luzardo last winter, but he is also coming off a rough season with a 3-6 record and 5.00 ERA in 12 starts for the Miami Marlins. He also has two minor league options remaining while Walker has none in the third year of a four-year, $72 million contract.
Perhaps the Phillies would love to see Luzardo take the final spot due to his age (27) and the investment they made in him, but Thomson’s comments about Walker’s camp earlier this week suggest that the battle for the fifth starter spot is far from over.
“Who knows? Jobs are up for grabs,” Thomson told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “The best guy is going to get it. …I mean if somebody else doesn’t throw well and [Walker’s] throwing great, you know? Who knows what’s going to happen? We’ve got a ways to go yet. And it usually works itself out.”
So far, the situation has been working in Walker’s favor and it could leave Luzardo figuring things out in the minors to open the season.