Mick Abel just forced the Philadelphia Phillies' hand. It was just revealed before Sunday's game that the Phillies are promoting him back to the majors to start Thursday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays and subsequently moving Taijuan Walker to the bullpen.
Not only did Abel dominate in his MLB debut for the Phillies in a spot start, but he's had a resurgent year at Triple-A thanks in large part to much-improved command. Abel can still lose the zone on occasion, but overall, he's throwing more strikes than he ever has. He's always had elite stuff, so the sky is the limit if he can locate.
Given how well he's pitched, giving Abel some run at the major league level, at least until Aaron Nola returns from the Injured List, makes a ton of sense. His promotion comes at Walker's expense, as the veteran will be moving to the bullpen permanently. It's safe to say the Phillies didn't expect this to happen in year three of the four-year, $72 million deal when it was signed.
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Taijuan Walker's move to the bullpen has everything to do with Mick Abel's emergence
Walker has been a popular punching bag among Phillies fans, and it's hard to blame them for that. He has not pitched remotely well enough to justify his four-year, $72 million contract. With that in mind, though, this move was more about Abel than Walker. Abel forced their hand.
Walker might not be a $72 million arm, but he has a more than respectable 3.53 ERA in 10 appearances (eight starts) and 43.1 innings this season. He isn't an ace, but has kept the Phillies in games just about every time he's taken the ball, which is about all they can ask for. The fact that he's being removed from the rotation says a lot about what they think of what Abel is capable of.
Is Taijuan Walker's move to the Phillies bullpen permanent?
Now, it's fair to wonder whether Walker will ever be part of the Phillies rotation permanently again. Not only did Abel leapfrog him on the depth chart, but the Phillies have Nola on the IL and have Andrew Painter, perhaps the best pitching prospect in the league, nearing his MLB debut. Walker might be seventh or eighth on the depth chart when the Phillies' rotation is healthy, which speaks to their depth.
Again, the last thing the Phillies expected when giving Walker all of that money was that they'd move him to the bullpen permanently in the third year of the deal. All they can hope for now is that he'll thrive in his new one-inning role, somewhat salvaging the contract.