Philadelphia Phillies Boss Taking Major Risk With Controversial Move
After early season success, one of the top performers on the Philadelphia Phillies is having his role changed and that could come with some consequences if things don't work out.
The Philadelphia Phillies are feeling good about themselves after pulling off a split with the formidable Cincinnati Reds that puts their record at 16-10 entering Friday's slate of games.
Their offense looks much better compared to the earlier part of the season when it was unrecognizable. The starting pitching staff has been nothing short of sensational, and is a main reason why they are off to their best start in years.
One area of concern for the Phillies is their bullpen.
They have the second-worst ERA in the league with a 5.85 and are having difficulty turning to reliable guys on a game-to-game basis.
With Taijuan Walker set to return from his injury and make his season debut on Sunday, Philadelphia's relief staff should get a boost as it's expected Spencer Turnbull will get moved into the bullpen.
The issues with that is Turnbull hasn't only been one of the best starting pitchers on the team, but he's been one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball.
After signing a one-year deal this offseason, he wasn't a lock to make the roster until Walker got hurt in Spring Training and was placed on the injured list. Having only pitched seven games since 2022, there was some questions about what he might look like.
But incredibly, he's tied for the fourth-lowest ERA out of every Major League starting pitcher with a 1.33 ERA through five starts.
There are many people who think Turnbull should remain in the rotation, but with Walker getting $18 million per year until 2027, the front office is giving him a starting role when he returns.
That puts a target on the back of Dave Dombrowski.
One thing that fans don't like is seeing someone performing well get replaced by a player who struggles immediately.
Dombrowski and the Phillies know this.
"Now it's up to him to go out and pitch well. Nothing comes in perpetuity, right? He's earned the ability to do that. But now he has to go out and perform. We think he will. If he doesn't, then we'll tackle it at that time," he told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
The good news is that the bullpen could clearly use help after one of their former top relievers has struggled the past two years.
Turnbull should be able to boost that unit.
How it all comes together will be seen, but Walker certainly has some big shoes to fill based on how the previous fifth starter performed so far this season.
