SEATTLE — The wait for top prospect Taijuan Walker to make it to the big leagues was shorter than expected, as the right-handed pitcher got a late-season call-up as a 21-year-old last September and made three starts with the Mariners.
The wait for Walker to make his fourth start with the team has been excruciatingly drawn out. He missed all of spring training with a sore shoulder, missed out on a chance to be in the Opening Day rotation and had a few setbacks before finally putting together eight minor-league starts as part of his rehab process.
On Monday, Walker will finally be back on the mound for the Mariners. His first major league start since last September is scheduled to come against a Houston team that Walker handled twice in his three starts last season. His late-season call-up in 2013 only heightened the expectations, as he went 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA.
Walker, who won’t turn 22 until August, has been a well-known prospect to Seattle fans since shortly after joining the organization as the 43rd overall pick in the 2010 draft. He has been the Mariners’ top prospect for the past two seasons and ranked as Baseball America’s 11th-best prospect in the game heading into the 2014 season.
After the way Walker closed out the 2013 season, fans were expecting him to be a mainstay in the rotation for years to come. His shoulder soreness, which isn’t expected to be a long-term issue, delayed Walker’s return to Seattle — and his Monday start is a pretty big moment in the future of the organization.
The wait is over, and now the Mariners are hoping to keep Walker around for awhile.