Taijuan Walker will remain in the Phillies’ rotation: ‘He deserves another shot’

Taijuan Walker’s next start for the Phillies will be a day earlier than scheduled.

Manager Rob Thomson said on Monday that he has flipped Walker’s next scheduled start with Cristopher Sánchez’s. Walker will now start Wednesday’s series finale against Houston, and Sánchez will pitch the series opener against the Braves on Thursday.

The intent behind the switch was to get Sánchez an additional day of rest, Thomson said. The left-hander threw a complete game against the Nationals on Aug. 17 and tossed six innings against Atlanta on Thursday. Sánchez pitched well against the Braves, allowing three earned runs but striking out eight, and setting up a favorable matchup against their divisional rivals was also a factor in the decision.

» READ MORE: Castellanos is Mr. Consistent, Kerkering bounces back, and other thoughts as the Phillies return home

“[Sánchez is] fine, but I’m worried about those innings,” Thomson said.

The Phillies optioned left-hander Kolby Allard to Lehigh Valley on Monday, which also played into the rotation switch. Allard pitched Sunday against Kansas City as a spot starter to give the rotation extra rest. Allard earned the win against the Royals and has a 3.50 ERA across his four appearances this season.

But with Ranger Suárez back from the injured list, Thomson said he envisions using a five-man rotation going forward.

And, for now at least, Walker will be a part of that. Following Walker’s last outing against Kansas City, Thomson declined to get into specifics when asked whether the righty would make his next scheduled start, and said they were “working on a couple of things.” Walker had lasted just three innings and allowed eight hits and six runs in the 7-4 loss to the Royals Friday night.

He has a 9.26 ERA in three appearances since returning from the injured list. But Thomson said on Monday he hadn’t been considering skipping Walker entirely.

“I just wanted to make sure that we’re OK to flip them,” Thomson said. “I was encouraged by [Walker’s] velocity. I know he threw some pitches down the middle, but he got behind as well. I think he deserves, because of who he is and his experience, he deserves another shot.”

Thomson said the action on Walker’s splitter has also been encouraging, though he has struggled with location.

“Starting out of the hand it’s a ball, and so they’re taking it. So he’s got to be able to go strike to ball with it,” Thomson said. “So he’s working through that. And the fastball command the other day wasn’t very good. He’s got to work through these things. …

“You can always make a change, but I’m confident he’s going to bounce back at this point. Maybe not everybody is, but I am. But that’s who I am.”

» READ MORE: The Phillies expected more from Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. Here’s how they’re dealing with ‘a game of failure.’

The Phillies have called up infielder Buddy Kennedy from triple-A Lehigh Valley, the team announced Monday.

Kennedy, from Millville, has Phillies baseball in his blood. His grandfather, Don Money, was a four-time All-Star third baseman, spending his career with the Phillies and the Milwaukee Brewers. Kennedy, 25, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Millville High School in 2017, and was acquired by the Phillies from the Tigers on June 7 in exchange for cash considerations.

“He can play anywhere on the infield,” Thomson said. “He can actually play a little bit of corner outfield, and we’ll see how many days he’s going to be here.”

Kennedy is hitting .281 with 12 home runs and 43 runs batted in for the Tigers’ and Phillies’ triple A teams in 95 games.

Weston Wilson was placed on the paternity list on Monday, and right-handed pitcher Max Lazar was recalled from Lehigh Valley to replace Wilson on the 26-man roster. Lazar had been sent down on Sunday to make room for Allard to start against the Kansas City Royals. Lazar has not allowed an earned run across six appearances and 5⅔ innings since making his major league debut.

» READ MORE: Phillies place José Alvarado on the restricted list; Michael Mercado recalled from triple A

Wilson can remain on the paternity list for up to three games.

Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.45 ERA) will start Tuesday against the Astros’ Justin Verlander (3-3, 3.92).