Walker

Buehler

Buehler struck out two opposing hitters in the ballgame. All three of the hits that he did allow in the contest were singles. The only real threat against him came in the third inning as the Marlins loaded the bases with two outs, but Buehler battled back to get Liam Hicks on a pop out to second to end the inning. The 31-year-old right-hander got seven whiffs on 74 pitches on the night, posting an underwhelming CSW of just 20 percent. He concludes the regular season with a 10-7 record and an underwhelming 4.93 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and a 92/61 K/BB ratio over 126 innings in 26 appearances (24 starts) between the Red Sox and Phillies.

Buehler piggybacked with Taijuan Walker, with Walker going the four and Buehler getting the next four; minus one out. That allowed Buehler to get the win, but he was deserving of that W while allowing just two hits and two walks and striking out three. The 31-year-old will likely pitch in a similar role with Walker on Thursday against the Marlins, although it’s possible Philadelphia could play with the rotation to end the season.

Piggyback fever is sweeping the nation. The Phillies become the latest organization to take the plunge with the Walker/Buehler tandem — seriously, you can’t make this stuff up — enabling the club to set up their rotation by having Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez face the Diamondbacks this weekend, which puts Cristopher Sánchez on track to start Game 1 of the NLDS.

After being released by the Red Sox and not pitching for nearly three weeks, Buehler turned in a solid start here. It wasn’t flashy by any means as he mixed six different pitches to flank his fastball, but it was effective against this poor Royals lineup. The kitchen sink approach worked well for him as he was able to vary his pitch usage in every different count to keep the opposing hitters off-balance. If he takes another turn in the rotation, it’ll likely come next Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Buehler is up and will make the start Friday against Kansas City. The 31-year-old was signed to a minor-league deal by the Phillies at the end of August, and now will get a chance to help the Philadelphia rotation. Buehler was awful in his time with the Red Sox as seen in a 5.84 ERA, but he’s obviously had plenty of success at the highest level. Fantasy managers probably don’t wanna take the risk with this outing, however.

The 31-year-old hurler will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies seem to be hopeful that he’ll be able to work out his issues there before joining the bullpen later in the season and sticking through the postseason where he has had an aptitude for dominance in the past.

The 31-year-old hurler was cut loose by the Red Sox on Friday afternoon and it didn’t take him long to land on his feet elsewhere. The Phillies’ rotation is currently full, so it’s unclear if they plan to have him work out of the bullpen or perhaps at Triple-A Lehigh Valley as an emergency depth option. By signing on August 31, Buehler will be eligible to join the Phillies’ post-season roster if they choose to have him.

Buehler ends his tenure with the Red Sox with a ghastly 5.84 ERA over 112 1/3 innings. The right-hander is now free to join a new club, and a team will likely give him a chance — with a short leash — for the final month.

Buehler was signed to a one-year $21 million deal, and very little went right. In 23 appearances — 22 of those starts — he forged a 5.45 ERA and 84/55 K/BB ratio over his 112 1/3 innings. It’s likely another team will give Buehler a chance in 2025 because of his previous success, but fantasy managers should remain skeptical until proven otherwise.

There had been rumblings about the possible change on Thursday and now it appears to be official, for now at least. It doesn’t sound like they have a plan yet on whether he’ll be used in one-inning spurts as a late-inning guy, or if he’ll strictly be used as a long man until he starts to get right. Either way, his already limited fantasy utility is now gone.