Walker officially announced his retirement Tuesday.
Known as the Pittsburgh Kid, Walker made the majors and had many of his best years for his hometown Pirates. He finishes his career with a career .267/.338/.426 slash line, 149 home runs and 21.6 fWAR across 12 MLB seasons.
Walker elected free agency Monday after refusing an outright assignment to the Phillies' alternate training site.
Walker will look to catch on with an organization after he went unclaimed off waivers following the Phillies' decision Friday to designate him for assignment. Before receiving his walking papers, Walker struggled to see the field for Philadelphia, appearing in .231/.244/.308. Given his lackluster production the past few years, his advancing age and his limited defensive flexibility, the 35-year-old Walker's time in the big leagues could be over.
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Phillies' Neil Walker: Designated for assignment
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Walker was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Friday.
Walker reportedly contemplated retirement if he was unable to win a big-league job this spring, so it's possible this is the end of the line for the 12-year veteran, who hasn't produced an above-average batting line since 2017. He got very close last year, posting a 99 wRC+, but he owns a mark of 42 in that category this season in limited playing time, the product of a .231/.244/.308 slash line. Ronald Torreyes should fill the reserve infield role going forward after his contract was selected in a corresponding move.
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Phillies' Neil Walker: Records three hits
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Walker went 3-for-3 with two RBI on Wednesday as he played a key part in in a 3-0 win over the Nationals.
Walker made just his third start since Aug. 13 and took advantage of the opportunity with his first multi-hit game of the season. The solid outing isn't likely to impact Walker's playing time, as he should continue to primarily be a bench option for the Phillies.
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Phillies' Neil Walker: Draws rare start
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Walker will start at first base and will bat eighth Wednesday against the Nationals, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
He'll step in as a replacement for Rhys Hoskins, who is presumably getting a maintenance day after starting in every game for the Phillies since Aug. 13. Walker also filled in for Hoskins that day, but in between, he made only one other start for Philadelphia (on Aug. 20). The veteran infielder is hitting .192 over 28 plate appearances this season, and he may have find himself on the chopping block when Scott Kingery (back) eventually returns from the 10-day injured list.
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Phillies' Neil Walker: Picks up another start
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Walker will start at second base and bat seventh in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Braves.
Walker will be making his third start in four games at his third different position, this time covering second base in place of a resting Scott Kingery. Though his playing time has been on the rise lately, Walker's path to a full-time role looks like it will be locked so long as all members of the Phillies' regular infield (Rhys Hoskins, Kingery, Jean Segura and Didi Gregorius) are healthy.
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Phillies' Neil Walker: Makes Opening Day roster
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Walker will be on the Phillies' Opening Day roster, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Walker is expected to fill a bench role for the Phillies, beating out Logan Forsythe, who was released Saturday. At age 34, Walker isn't the player he was at his peak, but his .261/.344/.395 slash line in a part-time role for the Marlins last season was good for a respectable 99 wRC+, which should serve him well enough as a bench bat.
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Phillies' Neil Walker: On 60-man squad
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Walker will be part of the Phillies' 60-man roster.
While Walker is a veteran utility player, he's not on the 40-man roster yet and isn't necessarily a lock to break camp. The Phillies have established players at all infield spots, and Josh Harrison and Logan Forsythe are in the mix as well for similar roles, with Phil Gosselin and Ronald Torreyes waiting in the wings. Walker did improve his OPS significantly to .738 last season, but he saw low counting stats with the Marlins, and his defense graded out poorly.
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Phillies' Neil Walker: Decent shot at bench spot
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Walker hit a passable .250/.300/.393 in 11 Grapefruit League games this spring.
Walker has no intention of heading to Triple-A as a 34-year-old, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports, so he may be bound for retirement if he can't win a roster spot in Philadelphia. As a switch hitter who can play both infield and outfield (he started games at first, second, third and left field this spring), he should have a good chance to do that. The Phillies can afford to prioritize offense with their bench spots as they have three players capable of playing shortstop (Didi Gregorius, Jean Segura and Scott Kingery) in the expected starting lineup. Walker's switch hitting may give him the edge over fellow veterans Logan Forsythe and Josh Harrison as a pinch-hit option, but it would probably take an injury ahead of him for him to earn a fantasy-relevant role.
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Phillies' Neil Walker: Joining Phillies camp
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Walker signed with the Phillies as a non-roster invitee Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Following eight straight seasons with a wRC+ of at least 106, the 34-year-old's performance has fallen off in the last two seasons. His .261/.344/.395 line for the Marlins last season was still good for a roughly average 99 wRC+, however, meaning he should still be a capable bench player. Whether the Phillies want to carry a bench bat that didn't start anywhere other than the corner infield spots last year remains to be seen.
Walker is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.
The 34-year-old will head to the bench for the second consecutive game as Austin Dean receives another start at first base. Walker has a .789 OPS over 17 games in September.
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Marlins' Neil Walker: Rides pine Thursday
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Walker is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mets.
Walker is hitting .267 with a .789 OPS through 17 games this month. Austin Dean is starting at first base and hitting fifth in his place Thursday.
