Fighting for spot on Phils' roster, Walker gets positive reviews

CLEARWATER, Fla. ¨C It feels like a quick turnaround. The Phillies will play their Grapefruit League opener against the Tigers on Saturday afternoon in Lakeland, Fla.

They just opened camp on Feb. 12.

Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Max Kepler will be the notable big leaguers in the Phillies¡¯ lineup. Non-roster invitee Nabil Crismatt will start. Tyler Phillips and Cristopher S¨¢nchez will start against the Orioles and Pirates at BayCare Ballpark on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

Saturday¡¯s game will be broadcast on SportsRadio 94 WIP. Sunday¡¯s game will be on NBCSP and 94 WIP. Monday¡¯s game will be on NBCSP+.

Here are a few notes as games begin:

Taijuan Walker

The Phillies¡¯ five-man rotation is almost certainly set with Zack Wheeler, S¨¢nchez, Aaron Nola, Ranger Su¨¢rez and Jes¨²s Luzardo. Top prospect Andrew Painter could join the rotation in the summer, if needed.

It leaves Walker fighting for a job, despite being owed $36 million over the next two years. That¡¯s how much Walker struggled last year (3-7, 7.10 ERA in 19 appearances). But Phillies manager Rob Thomson raved about Walker¡¯s performance in Friday¡¯s live BP at BayCare. Walker¡¯s fastball exceeded 92 mph, Thomson said. He struck out J.T. Realmuto, Stott and Kepler in five consecutive at-bats.

¡°Fantastic,¡± Thomson said. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of him. The work that he¡¯s put in, I mean, he looks better than he did when he won 15 games [in 2023] ¡­ at this point [of Spring Training]. I¡¯m really pleased with him. Just physically, his movements, his athleticism. The ball is coming out hot. The split¡¯s fantastic. He¡¯s landing his breaking ball. He was good that year in Spring Training, but I think he¡¯s better this year.¡±

The Phillies are preparing Walker to start because they need to prepare for everything. Maybe another starter suffers a setback this spring. Maybe he pitches so well that teams start asking about his availability.

These things happen all the time.

Or maybe Walker wins the eighth job in the bullpen. Thomson said he could help as a multi-inning reliever.

¡°Sure,¡± Thomson said. ¡°If that¡¯s the way we go. And he maintains his stuff.¡±

J.T.¡¯s backup

Catcher Rafael March¨¢n will start Saturday against the Tigers. Garrett Stubbs will start Sunday against the Orioles.

They are competing to be Realmuto¡¯s backup.

March¨¢n is perceived to be the favorite, if only because he is out of options, while Stubbs has one option remaining. Teams value depth, especially this time of year. If March¨¢n doesn¡¯t make the team, they could lose him.

¡°If one is playing much better than the other, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Thomson said about the options.

Bench battle

Weston Wilson opened camp a front-runner to make the Phillies¡¯ bench because he hits right-handed, and he plays both the infield and outfield. But Wilson felt something in his oblique while swinging in the batting cage on Friday. He is being evaluated.

¡°I don¡¯t know anything more than that,¡± Thomson said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s going to be.¡±

It can take weeks to recover from a strained oblique, depending on the severity. If Wilson is sidelined for an extended time, it could widen the bench competition.

Entering camp, Edmundo Sosa might have been the only lock to make the four-man bench. March¨¢n or Stubbs will earn a spot. Johan Rojas is considered a favorite to be the team¡¯s fourth outfielder, although the Phillies are working Sosa in the outfield to see if he could be an option in center field.

¡°He looks pretty good, just shagging,¡± Thomson said about Sosa.

Kody Clemens, Buddy Kennedy and Cal Stevenson are in the mix, too. Clemens and Kennedy are out of options. Like, March¨¢n, if they don¡¯t make the team the Phillies could lose them.

The kids

The Phillies have said Painter will not pitch in Grapefruit League games after missing the past two seasons because of an elbow injury. But top prospects Aidan Miller (No. 27 in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline) and Justin Crawford (No. 64) will make the trip to Lakeland on Saturday.

Both could push for big league promotions in 2025, depending on how they play, although the Phillies have said they don¡¯t expect to see them until next season. Still, their performances this spring should be fun to watch.