The Pirates re-signed left-hander Josh Walker to a minor league deal earlier this week, as famous by Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. Walker was dealt from the Mets to the Pirates on the commerce deadline final month however was designated for task shortly thereafter. Walker suffered an undisclosed damage shortly after becoming a member of the Pirates and, consequently, couldn’t be positioned on outright waivers when Pittsburgh designated him for task. As such, the membership evidently as an alternative launched Walker earlier than re-signing him to a minor league deal to clear his spot on the 40-man roster whereas nonetheless retaining him within the group.
Walker, 29, was picked by the Mets within the thirty seventh spherical of the 2017 draft. The lefty struggled to remain on the sphere early in his skilled profession with simply 29 complete affiliated appearances from 2017 to 2019, most of which got here in aid. Following the cancelled minor league season in 2020, Walker returned to motion as a beginning pitcher within the minors and quickly climbed the minor league stage however hit a little bit of a wall at Triple-A, the place he struggled to a 5.19 ERA with a strikeout charge of simply 15.8% in 9 begins.
These difficulties as a starter within the higher ranges of the minors mixed with an injury-marred 2022 season led Walker to maneuver again right into a aid position in 2023. He put collectively a dominant efficiency at Triple-A that yr, posting a glowing 1.84 ERA in 29 1/3 innings whereas putting out a improbable 33.3% of batters confronted. That glorious work within the minors was sufficient to earn Walker his first massive league call-up on the age of 28 final yr, however the lefty struggled within the majors as he allowed eleven runs, 9 of them earned, and walked an elevated 12.5% of batters confronted in ten massive league innings final yr. 2024 was extra of the identical throughout his time within the Mets group, as he struck out 31% of batters confronted with a robust 2.84 ERA however walked 10.9% of opponents with a lackluster ERA of 5.10.
Walker appeared prone to get one other look within the majors with the Pirates sooner or later this yr however his aforementioned damage appears to have derailed issues for him, a minimum of in the interim. With few particulars obtainable concerning Walker’s damage and his timetable for return it’s unclear when or if he’ll pitch once more this season, however with lower than a yr of service time within the massive leagues and one minor league possibility remaining it’s simple to think about the lefty being an fascinating longer-term piece given his latest success at Triple-A.
