Wednesday, June 11

Welcome to the latest edition of the Phillies Beat Newsletter. This version was written by Paul Casella, who has been based in Philadelphia since 2019 and covers the team alongside Todd Zolecki.

PHILADELPHIA -- Taijuan Walker believes he can still be a viable starter in the Major Leagues.

The Phillies, though, believe he could potentially help their beleaguered bullpen.

That’s why they made the decision this week to permanently move Walker to the ‘pen despite the fact he’s in the third year of a four-year, $72 million contract. The first two-plus years of that deal have not gone as planned, but Walker could make all of that an afterthought if he’s able to thrive in a relief role for a team desperate for more leverage arms.

“I'm sure he's not 100% happy; I think he still thinks of himself as a starter,” manager Rob Thomson said. “But he's a pro -- and I think he's a guy who will do anything to help the team.”

If Walker needs a blueprint for making the move, all he has to do is take a look in the opposing bullpen this week at Rogers Centre. Former teammate Jeff Hoffman made a similar transition in 2022, and it revitalized his big league career.

Hoffman was taken with the ninth overall pick by the Blue Jays in the 2014 Draft. The following year, he was such a coveted young arm that he was a key part of a package Toronto sent to Colorado in a blockbuster trade that landed superstar Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins.

Hoffman made his MLB debut in 2016, going 0-4 with a 4.88 ERA over eight games (six starts). He bounced back and forth between the Minors and Majors over the next handful of years, but never truly found his footing as a big league starter.

All told, Hoffman is just 11-20 with a 5.64 ERA in 50 career starts.

Still, the Reds worked out a trade to acquire Hoffman following the 2020 campaign, and they slotted him into their rotation to start the ’21 season. But the righty again struggled, posting a 5.20 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP through 11 starts. He had 39 K’s and 30 walks.

Cincinnati moved him to the bullpen, where he had a 3.54 ERA in 20 appearances. He put up a 3.83 ERA the following year heading into free agency. Hoffman signed with the Twins in the early days of Spring Training in 2023, but he was released by Minnesota just days before Opening Day.

Hoffman then signed with the Phillies three days later and was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He didn’t put up great numbers out of the gate – he had a 7.00 ERA in nine innings – with the IronPigs, but he made the most of an incredibly unusual opportunity.

With Bryce Harper rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at the time, Hoffman was brought to Citizens Bank Park strictly to pitch live batting practice to Harper. Hoffman impressed both Harper and Phillies brass enough to eventually earn a callup a month later.

The rest is history. Hoffman pitched to a 2.41 ERA over 54 relief appearances in 2023, then was even better in '24, posting a 2.17 ERA over 68 appearances and earning his first career All-Star selection.

The Phillies are hoping Walker can follow a similar path. Both Walker and Thomson have said on multiple occasions that they believe his stuff can play up significantly in a one-inning stint.

Thomson is also hoping Walker embraces the new role as an opportunity.

“Maybe a little motivation,” Thomson said. “Look at Hoffy -- it changed his whole life, becoming a reliever and having the success he's had. It's probably lengthened his career out. A lot of good things can happen from it.”

While Thomson plans to use Walker in a traditional one-inning role to see what he can do, the skipper said he won’t use Walker on back-to-back days right away. Walker will get at least one day -- and probably multiple days at first -- between appearances until he tells Thomson his arm is ready to handle back-to-backs.

Walker may still view himself as a starter, but he’s proven he’s not the type to put himself above the team. Just look at the past two postseasons, when Walker -- despite not throwing a single pitch -- was still in his usual spot on the top step of the dugout every night to support the team.

“My goal is to help any way I can,” Walker said after his last start.

Voting for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard is underway -- and there are plenty of Phillies on the ballot, which was released on Wednesday.

The most deserving candidate from the Phils is likely Kyle Schwarber, but he has the unenviable task of going up against fellow designated hitter and three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani.

Elsewhere on the ballot, Trea Turner has been red-hot for more than a month now, but the NL is stacked when it comes to shortstops. Turner finds himself battling for votes against the likes of Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, Elly De La Cruz and CJ Abrams -- just to name a few.

The other Phillies on the ballot include Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Max Kepler and Johan Rojas.

Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter had his first real stumble of the season on Wednesday night, allowing a season-high four runs over four innings in his latest start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The No. 5 overall prospect in baseball allowed six hits (including two homers) and issued a season-high four walks while striking out five batters.

The Phils had hoped to extend Painter out to pitching into the sixth inning this time around, but his pitch count prevented that from happening. He needed 85 pitches (59 strikes) to navigate his four frames.

Painter, who has a 3.86 ERA in five starts with Lehigh Valley, is expected to join the Phillies' rotation sometime in July -- likely following the All-Star break.

• Aaron Nola was hoping to throw live batting practice on Thursday, but that's been pushed back after the righty felt some tightness in his right side. Follow all the latest updates on Nola here.

• Harper homered in his first at-bat in his return to the lineup Tuesday -- and he did so while wearing some new padding on his right elbow.

• Carson DeMartini, a fourth-round pick in the 2024 Draft, is off to a hot start with High-A Jersey Shore.

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