The Philadelphia Phillies entered spring with one of the best rotations in the league on paper after getting Aaron Nola back in free agency.

For a franchise with World Series aspirations, signing their ace to a lucrative long-term contract was necessary to keep their window open for as long as possible.

With Zack Wheeler already on the roster, and signing his own extension later, the Phillies’ starting unit with Ranger Suarez, Christopher Sanchez, and Taijuan Walker presented a rotation that should help them contend for that elusive title.

However, the Phillies were dealt a blow early when they had to place Walker on the injured list to start the season with an issue in his throwing shoulder.

He’s expected to throw two innings of a live batting practice session on April 6 before seeing if he’ll continue with that route or begin his rehab assignment down in the minors.

But, even with the postive news that Walker is throwing again, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be returning to Philadelphia anytime soon.

“Ideally, the Phillies would build Walker up to six innings and 95 pitches. If they build him up gradually from two innings, that could take four or five rehab starts … so even if he begins that rehab assignment early next week and makes four starts rather than five, he’d be looking at April 30 at the earliest,” writes Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

That’s certainly not ideal for the Phillies, but the front office was able to have a contingency plan in place if something like this situation arose.

They signed Spencer Turnbull in the offseason and he performed well in his first start of the year, allowing zero earned runs over five innings pitched, while striking out seven batters.

Once Walker returns, it will be interesting to see how Philadelphia approaches their starting rotation moving forward since they have discussed keeping six starters on their roster for the long season like they did late in 2023.