Taijuan Walker hits 15-Day Injured List, Phillies recall Top 30 prospect from Lehigh Valley

Drew Smith
June 23, 2024
Phillies
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The Philadelphia Phillies announced that Taijuan Walker would be heading back to the injured list with right index inflammation.

Walker will hit the 15-Day IL (retro to 6/22) and in a corresponding move, the Phillies will recall 25-year old righty Michael Mercado from Triple A Lehigh Valley.

Taijuan Walker 15-Day IL, Mercado Recalled from AAA

The Phillies have placed RHP Taijuan Walker on the 15-day IL (retro to 6/22) with right index finger inflammation. To fill his spot on the 26-man roster, RHP Michael Mercado was recalled from Lehigh Valley (AAA). Mercado will wear No. 63.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 23, 2024

Luckily for the Phillies, Walker wasn’t exactly lighting up the box score anyways.

We all know that he was basically handed a spot in the back of the starting rotation because of his contract, so losing him actually could be a plus for this baseball team. Walker was 3-3 over 10 starts this season with a 5.60 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP in 53 innings pitched.

Spencer Turnbull will now slide back into the rotation. He is 3-0 on the season with a 2.63 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 16 appearances this season. As a starter, Turnbull posted a 2-0 record with a 1.67 ERA and 36 strikeouts over six appearances.

In a corresponding move to fill Walker’s spot on the 26 Man Roster, Michael Mercado was recalled from Lehigh Valley.

Mercado, a 6’4”, 25-year old righty, posted a 1-1 record with a 1.71 ERA over 14 games (10 starts) this season in Lehigh Valley. He’s tossed 47.1 innings with 44 strikeouts to go along with a 1.14 WHIP.

The Phillies are playing the Arizona Diamondbacks at 11:15 AM – streaming exclusively on the Roku App.

They destroyed the D-Backs yesterday 12-1 in an absolute hit parade at The Bank. Bryce Harper went 4-5 with a homer and 3 RBI. Nick Castellanos had 5 RBI and a homer – going 2-3 on the day.

With the win the Phillies improved to 50-26 on the season. They are 30-12 at home and 4-6 over their last 10 games – leading the Atlanta Braves by seven games in the National League East standings.