The Angels have granted right-hander Taijuan Walker his unconditional release, according to an announcement from the team’s Triple-A affiliate at Salt Lake. Walker signed a minor league pact with the Halos on June 11th, his second with the organization since being released by the Phillies in late April.
Walker, 33, made two starts with Salt Lake this time around. Both lasted five innings, and Walker allowed a total of seven runs (six earned) while striking out just three batters and walking the same number. That brings him to a 4.91 ERA in 14 2/3 innings over three starts at Triple-A for the Angels.
That’s a microscopic sample, of course, but it’s still not great for Walker given how poorly he’s performed in recent years. Now a veteran of 14 seasons, Walker was worth 2.4 fWAR in 173 2/3 innings for the Phillies in 2023. Since then, he’s pitched to a 5.67 ERA in 230 innings while striking out just 15.6% of opposing hitters.
At this stage, it wouldn’t be surprising for Walker to engage in a cycle of signing minor league deals with opt outs, testing free agency, then either re-signing or joining a new organization in hopes of earning a big league callup. The latter is increasingly unlikely given Walker’s ineffectiveness at Triple-A, to say nothing of his decline in recent years. He may eventually find a team desperate for innings eaters, but perhaps it’s telling that the Angels, a team with a 4.64 rotation ERA that’s tied for seventh-worst in the Majors, have passed on calling up Walker for a second time.
The financial cost isn’t an issue, as the Phillies are still on the hook for Walker’s $18MM guaranteed salary this year. Any team that brings Walker up would only owe him the prorated $780K big league minimum, which would be subtracted from the Phillies’ tab. That leaves Walker as a low-cost depth option who’s struggled recently, but who may be young enough that a partial rebound is possible. He could look to sign with the Angels again and re-establish himself over a larger sample at Triple-A. As an alternative, Walker could look for opportunities as a reliever, embracing the role the Phillies gave him in the middle part of 2025.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images
