The Philadelphia Phillies’ healthy starting rotation is a strength at the moment. The trade for Jesús Luzardo further deepened the pitching depth chart, while there have been injuries to other teams’ starting pitching before the start of the regular season.

The New York Yankees are coming up with other pitching alternatives before their regular season opener. Luis Gil suffered a right lat strain at the beginning of March, keeping him sidelined until at least June. Ace Gerrit Cole injured his right elbow. The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner will miss the 2025 season after having Tommy John surgery. Pitchers undergoing the procedure do not return for 14-18 months.

Could the Phillies strike a deal with the Yankees involving Taijuan Walker? New York’s starting rotation could use another pitcher, and the right-hander’s recent spring training outing versus Yanks boosted his stock with Opening Day less than two weeks away.

Taijuan Walker’s in-person audition for Yankees goes swimmingly

The Shreveport, Louisiana native, pitched four innings, his longest start during spring training, during his last appearance on March 14 against the Yankees. He made one mistake, giving up a two-run home run to Ben Rice, but was otherwise solid with just four hits, one walk and one strikeout. In three starts this spring, Walker has a 3.86 ERA and has allowed four earned runs in 9 1/3 innings pitched.