Oct 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering (50) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Phillies Reliever Providing Team With Immediate Production

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Apr 11, 2026 4:00 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies made a risky decision ahead of the 2025 MLB season when they didn’t do much to replace Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman in their bullpen after both left in free agency.

Looking to change that, the Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins to anchor the backend of the bullpen. With him in the mix and Jose Alvarado returning from suspension, the relief staff was quickly turning into a strength.

Brad Keller was added to the mix that included Tanner Banks, giving manager Rob Thomson a great mix of relief pitchers to choose from. All that was missing at the beginning of the 2026 season was Orion Kerkering.

His spring training debut was delayed because of a hamstring issue, which landed him on the 15-day injured list to start the year. He ramped things up and returned to the Major League team on April 7 and has wasted little time being thrown right into the fire, making an immediate impact for the team.

Orion Kerkering making immediate impact for Phillies

In his season debut, he pitched the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants. He was saddled with two runs being scored against him, but neither of them was earned in a 6-0 loss.

Thomson gave him a few days off, as he wasn’t called upon until April 10 again. Kerkering pitched the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in what was a 5-4 loss. He allowed only one hit and didn’t give up a run.

The real test for Kerkering came in the following game. It was the first time he was called upon this season to pitch on back-to-back days, and he answered the call, stepping up and getting the job done.

After Tim Mayza gave up a single to Adrian Del Castillo, Thomson called upon his young righty for the second straight day. Kerkering retired Jose Fernandez, forcing a pop-up to first baseman Bryce Harper.

Kerkering passes major test pitching on back-to-back days

He started the top of the sixth inning and got the job done. Nolan Arenado popped out to second baseman Bryson Stott before Kerkering registered his first strikeout of the season against Tim Tawa.

Jose Alvarado was called upon to finish out the inning and succeeded, getting Jorge Barrosa to ground out to Trea Turner after he hit Alek Thomas with a pitch and watched him steal second base.

Having Kerkering back in action is a huge boost to the Philadelphia bullpen. With him available, Thomson can now truly play matchups ahead of Duran with a great mix of lefties and righties capable of getting the job done in high-leverage situations late in the game.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: