The Philadelphia Phillies demoted Taijuan Walker from the starting rotation last week after losing nine straight games he started, but the move may have been done prematurely.
Tyler Phillips was meant to be the short-term answer as a holdover until Kolby Allard could be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh on Sept. 10.
However, Phillips had a nightmarish start on Tuesday as he allowed six earned runs on eight hits and was unable to escape the first inning.
Unwilling to give Phillips a chance at redemption, Philadelphia is turning to another option.
The team is planning to call up right-hander Seth Johnson to start Sunday’s game against Miami, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.
Johnson, 25, is the team’s 15th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
He’s never appeared in a game at the major league level since being drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 40th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft as trades and injuries have delayed his career path.
Johnson has been traded twice: from the Rays to the Orioles as part of a three-team trade that sent Jose Siri to Tampa Bay and Trey Mancini to Houston in 2022 and then at this year’s trade deadline from Baltimore to Philadelphia for Gregory Soto.
He’s also dealt with elbow issues that eventually led to Tommy John surgery shortly into his 2022 season, but he’s pitched well throughout his minor league career.
Through parts of five minor league seasons, Johnson has compiled: a 2.70 career ERA, a 1.24 career WHIP, and 269 strikeouts to 94 walks over 236 2/3 innings.
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