On Thursday, Taijuan Walker will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, marking the beginning of his 30-day window to return to the major leagues. The Phillies plan to gradually build him back up with a series of starts in the minors.
Walker has been dealing with a right shoulder impingement which caused him to miss a significant portion of spring training. The Phillies are closely monitoring his progress and will closely monitor his velocity during this rehab assignment. He had shown reduced velocity during spring training, averaging around 90 mph during a simulated game.
Meanwhile, Spencer Turnbull will fill the final spot in the Phillies’ rotation while Walker continues his rehab assignment. Turnbull made his second start of the season on Monday night, working with catcher Garrett Stubbs behind the plate. The Phillies seem to be pairing Turnbull with Stubbs for now, similarly to how they paired him with Cristopher Sanchez last season. While J.T. Realmuto usually catches the main rotation, he can’t catch every day and had started eight of the Phillies’ first nine games this season.
