Taijuan Walker won't pitch again in AFL; Mariners say he's healthy

Seattle Mariners right-hander Taijuan Walker has decided to leave the Arizona Fall League and will not pitch anymore this offseason, according to Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik.

"Taijuan is completely healthy and was very impressive in his two outings, but made a personal decision that he needed to return home at this time," Zduriencik said in a statement on the club's website. "He will continue with his offseason program and we look forward to seeing him at spring training in February."

Walker, who was scratched from his start Saturday, allowed two runs and struck out 11 over two AFL outings.

His absence is notable given the Mariners' desire for him to throw 25 innings this fall in an effort to increase his workload ahead of next spring.

The hard-throwing 22-year-old appeared in just eight games for the Mariners this season after bursitis in his right shoulder cost him nearly three months of action.

Though he struggled in 14 starts at Triple-A this season, Walker was impressive during his brief time in the majors. He pitched to a 2.61 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 38 innings over five starts for the Mariners.