The Phillies are optioning Orion Kerkering to Triple-A, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Kerkering has been a key reliever for Philadelphia in recent seasons, but he’s struggled mightily since the All-Star Break. The final straw was a four-run outing tonight against the Mets.
Kerkering leads the Phillies with 17 holds. He’s also chipped in two saves. The righty has functioned as an important setup option ahead of closer Jhoan Duran for much of the year. Only Jose Alvarado has appeared in more games out of Philly’s bullpen.
The struggles for Kerkering began in the second half. He carried a strong 2.43 ERA into the break. In 22 games since then, he’s posted an 8.10 ERA. Kerkering has been scored upon in half of those appearances.
Kerkering’s velocity is slightly down during this recent skid. He’s sat at 96.9 mph with the four-seamer in the second half. That number was 97.5 before the break. Kerkering’s slider is also down a bit. His strikeout rate has fallen to 20% in the second half. He’s maintained a double-digit walk rate.
Philadelphia’s 2025 season ended on a Kerkering error. He made an errant throw on a comebacker in Game 4 of the NLDS to hand the Dodgers a series-clinching win. Kerkering seemed to have shaken off the miscue with his strong start to the 2026 campaign. Unfortunately, those early results didn’t last. Manager Don Mattingly said he had “a pretty high degree of worry” about Kerkering when asked about the pitcher’s confidence moving forward.
The Phillies have been able to cover for Kerkering’s struggles with the emergence of Jonathan Bowlan. The former Royal has become Mattingly’s go-to eighth-inning guy. Bowlan has compiled a 3.36 ERA across 59 appearances. He has 14 holds and two saves.
Mattingly will have to figure out another route in the eighth inning for now. Bowlan is currently unavailable while he deals with what Mattingly referred to as a mild groin strain, per Gelb. The Phillies aren’t putting Bowlan on the injured list as he attempts to work through the injury. It’s unclear when he’ll be healthy enough to pitch.
Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images
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