What It Means:

Walker was pasted for six scores on seven hits across four frames on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels, his first start since July 5 when he was sidelined with tendinitis in his right foot. He failed to punch out any of the 19 batters on the afternoon, adding two walks to his forgettable line. Walker has returned to good health, but the Mariners want him to regain his form in the minors before putting him back in the rotation.

Walker is sporting a 3.93 SIERA and 21.22 percent strikeout rate in the bigs this year (90 innings), ranking 126th with a 1.53 nERD. Our models expect him to struggle a bit over the remainder of the season, currently projecting him for a 4.44 ERA and 17.51 percent strikeout rate from this point out.