Taijuan Walker is nearing a return to the Phillies’ rotation and could start next week

LOS ANGELES — Starter Taijuan Walker, who has been sidelined with right index finger inflammation since June 23, made what could be his final rehab start on Wednesday night. He pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts. Walker threw 60 pitches.

Walker could return to the Phillies’ rotation as soon as Tuesday, when the Phillies host the Miami Marlins. Kolby Allard will make his third big league start of the season Thursday night in Arizona, Zack Wheeler will pitch Friday, Aaron Nola will pitch Saturday, and Cristopher Sánchez will pitch Sunday.

Spencer Turnbull, who has pitched both out of the rotation and the bullpen, is continuing his rehab at the Phillies’ facility in Clearwater, Fla. Manager Rob Thomson said that he expects Turnbull (right lat strain) to throw off a mound this week.

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Whenever he does return, he’ll do so as a member of the bullpen. It’s not Turnbull’s preference — he’s pitched out of his rotation for his entire career — but Thomson said the right-hander understands the decision.

“I think he’d be very comfortable, because I think he understands that we don’t have a whole lot of time here,” Thomson said. “He wants to win. He’s pitching for a contract, too. And I talked to him earlier in the year, while he was still in the rotation and I said, you know, there’s a lot of value in a guy that teams know can start and they know he can come out of the bullpen, too.”

Turnbull pitched to a 4.26 ERA over 10 relief appearances before he was put on the injured list. It was an adjustment for him. The unpredictability of pitching out of the bullpen — at any given moment, rather than on a set schedule — took a while to get used to. But according to Thomson, Turnbull now has a better routine to set him up for success in the new role.

“He started to get his routine down, his process, and that’s a big deal for these guys who have been starters their whole life, has to go to the bullpen,” Thomson said. “He’s got to figure out when do I play catch? When do I get it going? How long do I need? What if I get up and have to stop? All of these things go through your head, so it’s difficult.”

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The Phillies plan to stretch Turnbull out as much as they can. Thomson said he’d be happy if the team can get Turnbull to pitch three or four innings.

Ranger Suárez (lower back soreness) will pitch an up-and-down bullpen in Arizona on Thursday. The next step for him would be to face hitters, either in a simulated game or in live batting practice. The Phillies are going to see how he comes out of his bullpen and go from there.