Phillies fans and analysts anticipated veteran pitcher would begin the 2025 season in the bullpen. However, the 32-year-old might instead reclaim his spot in the starting rotation, benefiting from All-Star teammate Ranger Suárez’s back injury. Phillies manager Rob Thomson revealed that Suárez experienced back stiffness following his four-inning start on Saturday, an issue he also dealt with last season.

“That’s why we haven’t announced anything about the rotation, who’s pitching when, or who has the home opener,” Thomson said via the Phillies’ official website.

Reporter Todd Zolecki projected that if Suárez is unavailable, Taijuan Walker could start on April 6 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Walker, who signed a four-year, $72 million deal before the 2023 season, ended last year in the bullpen. The 2021 NL All-Star struggled with a 3-7 record, a 7.10 ERA, and -1.6 bWAR for the NL East champions. Heading into Thursday’s games, Walker had a 3.86 ERA over 9.1 spring innings, though much of the damage came in a rough six-run outing against the New York Yankees on Wednesday.

A former first-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2010, Taijuan Walker has been primarily a starting pitcher throughout his career, making just one relief appearance from 2015 to 2023. He started a career-high 31 games in his first season with the Phillies.

When asked about the possibility of pitching out of the bullpen, Walker declined to comment. “I think I’ve got one more start [on Monday],” he said. “I’ve started every game this spring, and that’s been my focus.”