Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles claim lefty pitcher off waivers from Phillies

The Orioles are claiming lefty pitcher Josh Walker off waivers from the Phillies.
Logan VanDine|
Apr 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Josh Walker (21) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Apr 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Josh Walker (21) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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The Baltimore Orioles are adding this left-handed pitcher to fill their 40-man roster.

It was reported on Thursday by Jake Rill of MLB.com that the Orioles are claiming lefty Josh Walker off of waivers and are optioning him to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. Walker was designated for assignment by the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

Walker has bounced around the league throughout the course of his career, as he was first drafted by the New York Mets in the 37th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. The now 30-year-old would make his major league debut during the 2023 season but struggled mightily, logging an 8.10 ERA in 14 outings for the Mets, striking out 12 in just 10 innings of work.

The lefty hurler would appear in 10 games for the Mets during the 2024 season, posting a 5.11 ERA with 11 strikeouts across 12.1 innings. He was designated for assignment on July 26 following the acquisition of righty reliever Ryne Stanek during last season's trade deadline.

The Mets traded Walker to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 30, but he was DFA'd for the second time after appearing in just one game for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. Walker re-signed with Pittsburgh to a minor league deal on August 15 but elected free agency after the 2024 campaign.

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Walker signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays during the offseason and began the 2025 season in Triple-A pitching for the Buffalo Bisons. He would only appear in three games for the Blue Jays, posting a 7.20 ERA with eight strikeouts over five innings; Toronto DFA'd the lefty on May 25 and later traded him to the Phillies four days later for cash considerations.

In 23 outings pitching for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Walker went 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA, 22 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP across 26 innings of work. The lefty did not appear in any major league games for the Phillies this season as the ballclub designated him for assignment on August 19.

Walker will now look to make a name for himself in the Orioles' minor league system throughout the rest of this season, as he has yet to become a consistent major league pitcher. In 27 career games in the big leagues, he has a 6.59 ERA with 31 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.72 in 27.1 innings pitched.

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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan

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