Taijuan Walker Released by Phillies In Final Year of $72M Contract amid Continued Struggles
After a disappointing start to the 2026 season, starting pitcher Taijuan Walker is out of a job.
The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Thursday that they released Walker, who surrendered four earned runs in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs, which extended the team's losing streak to eight straight games.
Walker went 1-4 this season with a 9.13 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched. He surrendered at least four runs in four of his five starts, including a whopping seven earned runs in a 9-0 shutout loss against the Atlanta Braves last Friday.
The Phillies signed Walker to a four-year, $72 million contract prior to the 2023 campaign, but the move never paid off. Per MLB.com's Paul Casella, Walker ended his tenure in Philadelphia with a 5.12 ERA across 89 appearances with 71 starts, making him the fourth pitcher in franchise history to make over 70 starts and post an ERA above 5.00.
Walker's release on Thursday is yet another indictment of Dave Dombrowski's tenure as Phillies president of baseball operations. Since he assumed the role in December 2020, he's released eight free-agent signings during the season or spring training, per The Athletic's Matt Gelb.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in the National League at 8-16. ESPN's Jesse Rogers noted that Philadelphia's eight straight losses are its most since a nine-game skid in 2018.
The Phillies will try to turn things around when they face the Cubs (15-9) on Thursday night in the series finale of their four-game set.
