Walker Buehler Makes Case for Role With Phillies After Strong Debut

Walker Buehler had a good showing in his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Before the rosters expanded on Sept. 1 and the deadline to add players eligible for the postseason had passed, the Philadelphia Phillies decided to take a flier on Walker Buehler.

The former superstar starting pitcher had just been released by the Boston Red Sox, giving every team around baseball an opportunity to sign him for the remainder of the year. But with a 5.45 ERA across 23 outings (22 starts) and a failed conversion to the bullpen, not many wanted to take a chance on the 31-year-old.

Dave Dombrowski did, though, believing they could work with Buehler on some things that would get him back to being a viable pitcher at the big league level. With the two sides agreeing to a deal that had Buehler begin his tenure with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, all eyes were on what he could do when he took the major league mound for the Phillies on Friday.

First Phillies start ✔️ pic.twitter.com/eXBvJQ2blZ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 13, 2025

It's safe to say Buehler passed this test, throwing five innings of five-hit, one-run ball where the lone score he allowed came in the first inning. After that, he gave up just three hits and no runs across the remaining four frames, pounding the strike zone with 59 of his 90 pitches going for strikes.

While Buehler didn't overwhelm the Kansas City Royals with strikeout stuff -- ringing up just three batters -- he did induce tons of soft contact and only walked one batter, a major step in the right direction when it comes to a potential role he could have going forward.

"Some really positive stuff in terms of what we've been working on and being able to execute it in some pressure situations," he said after his outing, per Paul Casella of MLB.com. "I'm pretty pleased with it, to be honest."

What Walker Buehler's Role Could Look Like With Phillies

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

After this outing, Buehler is going to get another turn in the rotation. Philadelphia already planned on using a six-man unit for the remainder of the regular season, and that will certainly be the case after his performance on Friday.

That outing also makes it clear that he will have a role in some capacity with the Phillies in the playoffs, but it's unclear exactly what that is going to look like. Bullpen seems to be the way he'll be utilized, with him potentially being the long man who can come in and pitch two or three innings.

However, Philadelphia also needs a right-handed starter to break up their three lefties at some point. And while Aaron Nola is the leader in the clubhouse when it comes to getting that job, his struggles virtually all year have created questions about his viability.

Buehler probably won't be able to unseat Nola in the pecking order coming down the stretch, but his debut has given the Phillies a lot to think about when they put together their postseason roster.