Taijuan Walker dealt with 10 bone spurs in his right foot last year
Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker had a painful 2016 campaign in more ways than one.
According to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, Walker said that he had 10 bone spurs in his right foot last season that affected the use of his lower body. Walker also added that the biggest bone spur was 3/4 of an inch.
#Dbacks Taijuan Walker said he had 10 bone spurs in his foot last year that impacted his ability to push off and use lower body.
— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) December 1, 2016
#Dbacks Taijuan Walker on 10 bone spurs: The biggest one was 3/4 of an inch and they kind of got smaller from there.
— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) December 1, 2016
The 24-year-old Walker was all over the place in 2016 as a Seattle Mariner, going 8-11 with a 4.22 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 25 starts. He was demoted to the minor leagues in August and was ultimately traded to the Diamondbacks last month along with shortstop Ketel Marte for a package centered around infielder Jean Segura.
A quantum leap probably shouldn’t be expected of Walker in 2017 with the move to a highly hitter-friendly ballpark in Chase Field. But hopefully a better bill of health can help the highly talented but highly inconsistent righty get back on track in Arizona.
Image Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
H/T HardballTalk