The Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of their ramp up period in Spring Training as the team gets ready for their journey to win the World Series.
This period presents players who already have a roster spot an opportunity to face live action during a game setting as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Unfortunately, what also comes during this time are injuries.
Getting back into "baseball shape" can cause soreness, or even worse, as the players get their bodies ready to compete.
Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker is dealing with that now.
According to Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the right-hander is dealing with a right knee issue that manager Rob Thomson describes as "normal spring training soreness."
Because of this and time away for personal reasons, Walker hasn't pitched in a single Spring Training game.
As the 31-year-old rehabs his knee back to full health, Thomson said Philadelphia is going to "back him off a little bit and get him going in the next couple of days."
It doesn't seem like the 11-year veteran is going to miss time at the beginning of the season because of this issue, but news like this is never pleasant during this time of year.
Walker joined the Phillies on a four-year, $72 million contract last offseason, and put together a solid showing with a record of 15-9, but also had a 4.38 ERA and ERA+ of 98 across 31 starts and 172 2/3 innings pitched.
Much to his dismay, he did not appear in a single playoff game, causing some controversy with what was said on social media after Philadelphia was eliminated in the NLCS.
One of the reasons why the Phillies haven't gone after Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell, even though they're still available, is because the front office is comfortable with their current starting five.
Walker is expected to play a major role in 2024.
It will be important to get him healthy and ready for the start of the season.
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