As Taijuan Walker returns to the rotation on Tuesday, Phillies believe he has solved his splitter grip

PHOENIX — As Taijuan Walker is set to make his return to the rotation, the Phillies believe his issues with his splitter are behind him.

Walker is scheduled to be reinstated from the injured list and start against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. The righty went on the injured list June 22 with right index finger inflammation after developing a blister that was impacting his splitter.

The pitch has historically been one of Walker’s most effective weapons, although he had been struggling with it this season before his IL stint. Opposing hitters are batting .426 and slugging .704 against Walker’s splitter in 2024. As a result, his usage of the pitch plummeted: Walker has turned to his splitter only 17.4% of the time this season, compared to 33.2% in 2023.

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Walker’s rehab revolved around regaining confidence in the pitch and correcting the blister, which had been a recurrent issue for him. Walker had been tinkering with his splitter grip since May to try to solve the blisters before ultimately being placed on the IL.

He made two rehab starts in double A, and threw 60 pitches in five innings on Wednesday. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he heard good things about his splitter, and that Walker induced a lot of soft contact in his final start in Reading. He will likely be limited to 75-80 pitches on Tuesday.

The Phillies say they aren’t concerned about the blister returning.

“I think they’ve worked it all out, and he’s got the callus on there,” Thomson said Sunday. “Now I think he’s good to go.”

Thomson announced Sunday that Tyler Phillips will start against the Marlins on Wednesday following Walker, while Zack Wheeler will take the mound on Thursday against Washington. Thomson had considered skipping Phillips’ spot in the rotation to allow Wheeler to pitch on normal rest, but he decided to “play it safe” and give Wheeler an extra day.

Thomson flipped Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott in the Phillies’ batting order for the series finale against the Diamondbacks, moving Stott up to the five-hole and sliding Marsh back to eighth. It’s the highest Stott has hit in the lineup since before the All-Star break.

Both lefties are mired in slumps, and Thomson said he wants to shake things up a bit. On this road trip entering Sunday, Marsh was 4-for-29 and had been hitless in the last six games, while Stott was 2-for-27.

“Stott’s making contact,” Thomson said. “He’s making more contact than Marsh is right now, and I’m going to take a little heat off Marsh.”

While it’s certainly bad timing when both lefties in the bottom half of the lineup experience slumps at the same time, Thomson said it’s part of the game.

“At any given time, there’s going to be two or three people that aren’t swinging the bat,” he said. “I mean, I’ve never seen a lineup that has all nine guys going good. So we just have to make up for it, that’s all, with the other guys.”

While the Phillies could not come up with the win, the lineup switch seemed to pay off somewhat. Marsh recorded an RBI single and Stott doubled.

Spencer Turnbull suffered a setback this weekin Clearwater, Fla., while rehabbing from a strain in the back of his right shoulder. Turnbull was initially scheduled to throw off a mound at the Phillies’ facilities, but Hurricane Debby’s impact on Florida pushed back his schedule, and then he felt soreness in the area of his injury.

Turnbull is taking a few days to rest, but Thomson hopes he will be able to resume throwing “by the end of the week.”

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The Phillies claimed right-hander Kyle Tyler off waivers from Miami on Sunday and optioned him to Lehigh Valley. To make room on the 40-man roster, Nick Nelson was designated for assignment. ... Cal Stevenson made his first start as a Phillie in Sunday’s series finale after pinch-hitting on Saturday, taking over for Johan Rojas in center field. ... Arizona righty Merrill Kelly returned from the injured list Sunday to face the Phillies, making his first start since April 15. ... Ranger Suárez (lower back soreness) threw a “touch and feel” session on Sunday, which Thomson said involves throwing off a mound to work on his pitches but without the “full intent” of a bullpen session.