July 13, 2020 9:53 PM : Walker was consistently hitting 93 mph with his fastball during his two innings in Monday's intrasquad game, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: The right-hander has a big year ahead of him after missing much of the last two seasons with injuries, and thus far, every step he's taken since spring training has been favorable. The latest was his pair of frames Monday, when Walker logged the first of what's slated to be three intrasquad game starts and allowed just an infield single and a walk while recording three strikeouts. Walker even got scalding hot teammate Kyle Lewis, who'd hit three home runs over the team's two prior intrasquad outings, to ground out, and after the game, the Mariners' projected No. 3 starter offered his thoughts of how the three-month-plus shutdown helped him further prepare for what he hopes will be a successful comeback campaign. "It gave my arm a chance to heal," Walker said. "Anytime you can do that, you should feel good and strong. And that's what I feel like right now. I feel really strong. I like where I'm at. Now it's just about building the innings and getting comfortable with the ups and downs. We're getting there."