Rob Thomson gave Taijuan Walker more respect than Phillies starter deserved

The Phillies don't have many problems, as they carry the best record in baseball and an elite starting rotation. The only hole, of course, is Taijuan Walker.

Walker was booed in his last start at Citizens Bank Park, as he gave up four runs in five innings. Walker's ERA ballooned to 5.73, with many Phillies fans calling for Rob Thomson to remove him from the rotation altogether in favor of Spencer Turnbull. The verdict came on Tuesday night, when Thomson said he would not be making the popular choice, instead keeping the rotation in tact.

"Why not? Because I trust him," Thomson said. "He's got to command better. Hopefully, along the way, he gains some velo. We saw it tick up a couple of starts ago and now it's come back down. I'm sure he'll get there. But he's got to command the baseball, he's got to keep it down, he's got to get the split down."

Thomson named several ways Walker can improve, but also noted that he's "not there yet" in terms of uprooting the rotation he's put in place. For now, Turnbull remains a bullpen weapon the Phillies can use at their disposal.

Rob Thomson shows Taijuan Walker a surprising amount of respect

Thomson showed Walker something the $72 million right-hander never gave the Phillies manager, which is more than an ounce of respect. Last postseason, Thomson opted to keep Walker out of the playoff rotation, and he did not respond well.

Thomson took that criticism in stride, but clearly it didn't stick with him.

"I haven't (spoken to him). I'll call him at some point," Thomson said at the time. "People get emotional. He's a competitive guy. I love Taijuan, I really do. This guy gave us 15 wins. Every time he goes out to the mound, he competes until we take him out and then he never wants to come out. I want a guy like that. That type of thing doesn't bother me. I love him, I love his demeanor, I love his toughness. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Walker made a mistake, sure, but he ought to have been on thin ice entering the 2024 campaign as a result. Instead, he's gotten opportunity after opportunity.

Turnbull has a no-hitter on his resume, and while valuable out of the bullpen, should be pitching more than three innings at a time. If Walker continues to struggle, Thomson cannot let raw emotion get in the way of the right decision.