Taijuan Walker activated by Mariners, could debut soon

The Seattle Mariners have enjoyed a winning surge of late. With the good times already rolling, they might see the season debut of one of their top pitching prospects soon.

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Right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker was activated off the disabled list on Tuesday and could join Seattle’s rotation soon. The team will be cautious, however, to make sure they do not rush Walker as he works his way back from issues with his throwing shoulder.

Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times writes the following about Walker’s status:

"Not sure how the time frame works with Walker being scratched earlier in his rehab process, but his 30 day limit on rehab outings was nearing. Realistically, if the Mariners wanted to call him up to pitch Saturday in Erasmo Ramirez’s place, they could still do that…Walker is recovering from a shoulder issues, which should be a concern. The Mariners have been ultra careful in his recovery thus far. They probably aren’t going to stray from the philosophy."

The Mariners are wise to play the long game in terms of Walker’s best interests and their perspective on this season in general. While their emergence of late has been promising and the allure of the second wild card keeps many teams in the playoff hunt deeper into the season, the Mariners also have to consider the cold reality of the fact that it is still only June.

Seattle looks like a team that can contend for a playoff spot; that said, they would hate to rush their prized prospect to the rotation this early only to see him cause further damage to his pitching shoulder.

It’s a balancing act for the Mariners, but regardless it looks like we should see Walker in the big leagues soon.

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