The Taijuan Walker Revenge Tour is exactly what the Phillies need down the stretch

One year ago, Taijuan Walker was basically a corpse for the Phillies. He posted nine straight L’s in his starts, a 7.36 ERA, and was ultimately shipped to the bullpen down the stretch and deemed useless come playoff time.

It was supposed to be an end of a horrible contract from Dave Dombrowski but Taijuan Walker hung around, kept his head down, and accepted any role that Dave Dombrowski and Caleb Cotham graciously offered him.

Fast forward to 2025, and dare I say that Taijuan Walker is actually… useful?

All of the sudden, I’m sitting here calling Taijuan Walker “Cyjuan Walker” because he’s become a steady and reliable arm that has kept the Phillies in multiple games this year.

Sure, Cyjuan Walker is a joke and a funny one at that, but the point still stands. Monday night in Cincinnati was the latest example.

Six innings, one run, ERA down to 3.31 in 14 starts, and most importantly, he set the table for that four-run eighth inning where Weston Wilson, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber flipped the game on its head.

That’s how you win games in August and in Walker’s case, July too.

Taijuan Walker Since Rejoining the Phillies’ Rotation on July 8:

Taijuan Walker’s stats since rejoining the Phillies Starting Rotation on July 8:

6 GS | 30.2 IP | 34 H | 10 ER | 4 BB | 16 K | 2.98 ERApic.twitter.com/9ssmuKyDSs

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) August 11, 2025

Kyle Schwarber, Phillies keep rolling with 4-1 comeback over Reds

Shockingly enough, Taijuan Walker couldn’t have arrived at a better time for the Phillies

With Aaron Nola set to return as early as this weekend, Walker’s resurgence gives the Phillies options. Andrew Painter is basically cooked, at least for this year, as he continues to struggle in Lehigh Valley.

Reinforcements are no longer coming from the farm, and given Zack Wheeler’s recent shoulder scare (MRI was clean, but let’s not pretend we’re not all holding our breath), that’s a huge deal.

Taijuan Walker is… underrated now?

Taijuan Walker is quietly putting together one hell of a bounce-back season, and nobody’s talking about it. pic.twitter.com/Oe1Z6mcrPP

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) August 6, 2025

There’s not much more you can ask from the rotation

The Phillies are about to play 39 games in 41 days. Every starter could use a breather.

You can roll with a six-man rotation, buy Wheeler some extra rest, and make sure he’s at full throttle come October.

Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez are both top-10 in innings pitched, Ranger Suárez has been a workhorse since May, and Jesús Luzardo’s already doubled last year’s workload.

Taijuan Walker wasn’t supposed to be part of that equation this year, but now he’s making it possible.

If the Phillies can keep that NL East cushion where it is, they might finally hit the postseason with their arms fully loaded.

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