Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday that right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker threw a bullpen session over the weekend and is slated to throw live batting practice within the next few days.
Per The Athletic's Jayson Stark, the Phillies' plan is for Walker to pitch in a Spring Training game next Monday or Tuesday.
Walker has been dealing with soreness in his right knee since last week, and he has yet to make an appearance in Grapefruit League play.
The 31-year-old righty tossed a career-high 172.2 innings across a career-high 31 starts last season, which was his first in Philadelphia. He is now entering the second year of a four-year, $72 million contract he signed with the Phillies in December 2022.
Walker was once a first round pick and top prospect for the Seattle Mariners, who would eventually trade him to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following a promising 2017 campaign, Walker underwent Tommy John surgery, and he only made four total appearances between 2018 and 2019.
After easing his way back with the Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, Walker fully returned to form with the New York Mets. He became a first-time All-Star in 2021, and he cut his ERA below 3.50 in 2022.
Walker is 69-56 for his career, putting up a 3.97 ERA, 1.239 WHIP, 944 strikeouts and a 12.7 WAR since making his MLB debut in 2013.
Should he remain on schedule and overcome his lingering knee injury within the next week or so, Walker figures to serve as the Phillies' No. 4 starter once the regular season begins. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola are penciled in as Philadelphia's co-aces, while Walker, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez will make up the back end of their rotation for the second year in a row.
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