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The Philadelphia Phillies are still likely to make a significant move ahead of the 2026 season. Team officials previously addressed their top offseason priorities by signing Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto to multi-year contracts. They also filled a key need in the outfield by signing Adolis Garcia.

Nevertheless, there is still one more area of concern leading up to opening day. Ranger Suarez’s recent departure via free agency leaves a fairly glaring hole in Philadelphia’s starting rotation. The former All-Star posted a 3.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP to go along with a 4.7 WAR in 2025.

Without the lefty, Mark Feinsand believes that the Phillies will eventually turn to top prospect Alex Painter. The highly-rated pitcher, however, did recently experience a disappointing campaign in the minors. As a result, Painter dropped in MiLB’s latest prospect rankings. While he is still seen as a future star, the youngster may not make Philadelphia’s roster on opening day.

Instead, Bleacher Report is predicting that the Phillies are going to re-sign Walker Buehler to round out their rotation. As the outlet’s Joel Reuter points out, the club could bring in the veteran to help keep the pressure off of Painter for now. Philadelphia may view Buehler’s return as essentially a safety net until the number one prospect is truly ready.

Walker Buehler Made Good Impression on the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025

GettyWalker Buehler pitched well in limited opportunities for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025.

Buehler previously joined the Phillies on a minor league deal in August after being released by the Boston Red Sox. While the righty endured arguably his worst season as a professional in Boston, he turned things around in Philadelphia. Buehler went 3-0 with a 0.66 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with the Phillies, albeit in just 13.2 innings. Despite the small sample size, the veteran showed that he could still be useful for a big league team.

Outside of losing Suarez, Philadelphia also has other issues with its rotation. Ace Zack Wheeler is set to miss the start of the 2026 season due to shoulder surgery. Because of the issue, he will not make the club’s opening day roster. Wheeler is regarded as one of the top starters in all of baseball when healthy.

On top of Wheeler’s injury, there are also concerns with Aaron Nola. The veteran has been mostly reliable in Philadelphia since joining the team in 2015. In fact, he earned Cy Young votes four different years with the club throughout his career. Nevertheless, Nola posted his career-worst ERA, WHIP, and WAR in 2025.

One silver lining regarding Nola, however, could be the fact that the starter has recently pitched better in even years for some reason. Since 2020, the righty has averaged a 5.03 ERA in odd years, but a combined 3.36 ERA in even years. Phillies fans will be hoping that the trend continues in 2026.

Buehler Could Eventually be Moved to Bullpen

Assuming Philadelphia does take a chance on Buehler, he could start the upcoming season as the team’s fifth starter. If he pitches well, the veteran could hold down the spot until Wheeler returns from injury. If he does not deliver, the Phillies could ultimately turn to Painter a bit earlier than expected.

Buehler could also be used out of the bullpen once Wheeler recovers. In fact, one of his 2025 appearances with Philadelphia was as a reliever. The veteran did not allow a run in 3.2 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 19th.

Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore

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