Phillies

Lefty-Strapped Phillies Add a Reliever

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: May 30th, 2025 · 9:26 AM EDT

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This hit the inbox at 9:55 p.m. on Thursday night:

The Phillies have acquired left-handed pitcher Josh Walker from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations. Walker was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement.

Walker, 30, made three appearances for the Blue Jays this season and had a 7.20 ERA (4 ER, 5.0 IP) with eight strikeouts to two walks, a 1.67 FIP and a 35.7% whiff rate before being designated for assignment on May 25. The 6-foot-6 left-hander has made 27 major league relief appearances in his career, having spent parts of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the New York Mets and overall, has combined for a 6.59 ERA (20 ER, 27.1 IP) with a 24.2% strikeout rate.

A native of Otisville, N.Y., Walker was originally selected by the Mets in the 37^th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He has pitched in eight minor league seasons and is 19-14 with a 4.07 ERA (125 ER, 276.1 IP) and 312 strikeouts to 105 walks over 128 games (29 starts).

They need lefties in the wake of the Jose Alvarado suspension. They’re down to Tanner Banks and Matt Strahm at the major league level, then Nick Vespi with the IronPigs and that’s it. So in comes Walker, who has been all over the place at the minor league level, and when I say “all over the place,” his Baseball Reference page has 27 horizontal lines on it. He has bounced around the Mets system, from Brooklyn to Kingsport, back to Brooklyn and the Gulf Coast league, over to Syracuse and Binghamton, back to Brooklyn and then Syracuse and St. Lucie. He also had a cup of coffee with the Peoria Javelinas, Indianapolis Indians, and Buffalo Bisons. Let’s welcome him to the Lehigh Valley.