Walker Buehler still on track to make his Phillies debut Friday against the Royals

MIAMI — Walker Buehler hadn’t made a start in 18 days — or pitched in a game at all for 13 days — when he gave up a home run to the first batter he faced Saturday night in triple A.

It got better from there.

Buehler remains on track for his Phillies debut Friday night at home against the Royals. The veteran righty threw 78 pitches in only three innings of his triple-A tune-up but also exhibited life on his fastball, according to Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham.

“One of the keys for him is being able to throw that low fastball, like low location,” Cotham said. “It’s really about trying to get the fastball to a spot because everything really does flow through that.”

» READ MORE: No longer a mainstay in the Phillies’ outfield, Nick Castellanos says he’s putting the ‘team goal’ ahead of personal success

Buehler walked three batters against the Toledo Mud Hens, a continuation of his command problems for much of the season with the Red Sox. But he dialed up his fastball to 94 mph, sidestepped a leadoff triple in the third inning, and allowed only the one earned run.

“I thought it was really positive, especially for having a little time off, new team, going to triple A,” Cotham said. “All things considered, I was really positive.”

Buehler got released on Aug. 29 by the Red Sox after posting a 5.45 ERA and walking 55 batters in 112⅓ innings. The Phillies signed him to a minor league contract and will use him down the stretch in a six-man rotation.

Think of Buehler as a lottery ticket, and you get the idea.

But Cotham also has ideas about how Buehler might get back to being an effective starter.

It has been four seasons since Buehler finished fourth in the Cy Young race. He had his second Tommy John elbow surgery in 2022 and owns a 5.42 ERA in 38 starts since returning last season with the Dodgers.

Yet Buehler still has one of the most varied pitch mixes in baseball. He throws seven pitches: three fastballs (four-seamer, sinker, cutter), a traditional slider and a sweeper, plus a curveball and changeup.

Would he benefit from simplifying things?

» READ MORE: Inside Trea Turner’s drastic improvement at shortstop that has turned him into an MVP candidate

“He knows what his arsenal is and how to make pitches do things,” Cotham said. “Maybe there is a little subtraction. Starting out, it’s just letting the game dictate and not forcing anything in there.

“Because if he’s featuring the heater and it’s in a good spot, and if he’s featuring the curveball and it’s in a good spot, and he’s protecting both those with the cutter, his ability to throw strikes is still really good. I think the game will dictate some of that.“

If the Phillies stick with a six-man rotation through the end of the regular season, he would start twice more after Friday night: Sept. 19 in Arizona and Sept. 26 at home against the Twins.

At minimum, the Phillies hope Buehler’s presence will enable them to give additional rest to their other starters, notably the lefty trio of Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, and Jesús Luzardo.

But Buehler also has a 3.04 ERA in 19 career postseason appearances (18 starts), experience that might be helpful in October.

“The biggest thing is making sure we’re doing the best to keep everyone healthy and pitching well and strong going down the stretch,” Cotham said. “Because we still need to win games.”

» READ MORE: Aaron Nola believes the key to solving his first inning struggles is ‘getting the leadoff hitter out’

Top outfield prospect Justin Crawford went on the seven-day injured list with a concussion he suffered in a collision Thursday night with third baseman Otto Kemp. Crawford leads the triple-A International League in hitting (.334) and on-base percentage (.411) and has 46 steals. ... Jordan Romano (right middle finger inflammation) threw a bullpen session. Although he’s eligible to return from the injured list Tuesday, he will face hitters in a batting practice setting and go on a minor league assignment, according to manager Rob Thomson. ... Aaron Nola (3-8, 6.78 ERA) will start the series opener at 6:45 p.m. Monday night against Mets rookie righty Nolan McLean (4-0, 1.37).