PHILADELPHIA -- Walker Buehler was on the mound for the final out of last year’s World Series, helping the Dodgers to a championship. Can he have a similar impact for the Phillies this fall?
Philadelphia agreed to a Minor League deal with Buehler on Sunday, making the veteran eligible to pitch for the Phillies in the postseason. He will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he will make one start on Saturday before joining the Phillies on Sept. 12.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the plan is for the Phillies to use a six-man rotation from that point forward, giving them an opportunity to get their starters an extra day of rest down the stretch.
"He’s happy with the plan,” Dombrowski said. “We’re happy with the plan. And we’re very excited to have him because we think he makes us better and puts us in a position where we’re trying to do anything we can to qualify for the postseason and then, if we can make it, to do anything we can to win.”
Buehler agreed to a one-year, $21.05 million deal with the Red Sox last winter, but his time in Boston was a disappointment, as he went 7-7 with a 5.45 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) before being released on Friday. Buehler had been demoted to the bullpen on Aug. 22, but one relief appearance against the Yankees was all it took for the Sox to decide he wasn’t going to be a meaningful part of the bullpen moving forward.
Buehler will join a Philadelphia rotation that currently consists of Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo and Taijuan Walker. The Phillies recently lost Zack Wheeler for the season after he was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome, which will require surgery.
"Buehler is obviously extremely experienced,” Luzardo said. “He’s got a lot of talent and obviously pitched in World Series games and won it before. It's always nice to have a guy with experience like that. I’ve heard nothing but good things about him, so we're excited about that.”
Buehler’s 16.6% strikeout percentage this season is a career low, while his 10.7% walk rate is his highest since his first season (2017), when he threw only 9 1/3 innings. His 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings, 4.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 22 home runs allowed in 2025 are also career worsts for the 31-year-old.
"This year hasn’t been as good for him as some other years, but we still like a lot of his stuff,” Dombrowski said. “We think we see some things that can hopefully help him. He’s willing to work with us.”
The Phillies will pay Buehler only one month of the minimum league salary ($760,000), while the Red Sox remain on the hook for the remainder of his contract.
Dombrowski said he hadn’t thought far enough ahead as to whether Buehler could work his way into the Phillies’ postseason rotation or potentially help out of the bullpen in October.
“Let’s see how we’re performing, how everybody’s throwing the ball at that time,” Dombrowski said. “Right now, our starters, they feel good. They feel fine. Of course, Nola hasn’t pitched many innings. But we just want to be careful because you have a chance to get tired down the stretch. It’s worked for us to go to the six starters, and we think he’s a pretty good sixth starter.”
In another move Sunday, the Phillies claimed left-hander Tim Mayza off waivers from the Pirates. The 33-year-old made seven appearances for Pittsburgh this season, posting a 2.89 ERA over 9 1/3 innings.