15-Day IL
Injury Hamstring
Est. Return 4/7/2026
2026 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
0.00
WHIP
0.00
K
0
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
After a tremendous 2024 that kept Kerkering in the conversation as a potential closer of the future in Philadelphia, the hard-throwing righty wasn't able to replicate that level of success last season. Kerkering wasn't awful - he racked up eight wins, four saves and 19 holds across a career-high 69 appearances - but he struggled with his command while his strikeout and swinging strike rates regressed. Opposing hitters squared up a bit more on his sweeper, as his 23.6 percent whiff rate was 5th-worst for that pitch type. Kerkering is still young - he turns 25 in April - but his results last year likely played a small role in the Phillies' decision to acquire Jhoan Duran as their closer. With Philadelphia recently signing Brad Keller, Kerkering is likely to slot into the mid-to-upper end of the team's high-leverage hierarchy to open 2026. He still has the upside to play an important role for the Phillies, but he'll need to rebound across a few categories. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year contract with the Phillies in March of 2026.
Begins rehab assignment
Kerkering (hamstring) threw a clean inning in Saturday's minor-league rehab appearance for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, striking out one.
Analysis
Kerkering, who's working his way back from a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, is next expected to pitch in consecutive games Sunday and Monday, per MLB.com. Once he's cleared to join Philadelphia's bullpen, Kerkering is likely to operate primarily as a setup man for closer Jhoan Duran in 2026.
Kerkering, who's working his way back from a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, is next expected to pitch in consecutive games Sunday and Monday, per MLB.com. Once he's cleared to join Philadelphia's bullpen, Kerkering is likely to operate primarily as a setup man for closer Jhoan Duran in 2026.
Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
2024
2023
Minor League Game Log
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-11%
BAA vs RHP
2026
No Stats
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .247 | 59 | 24 | 46 | 5 | |||
| Since 2024vs Right | .219 | 80 | 20 | 60 | 3 | |||
| 2026vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2026vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .253 | 25 | 13 | 23 | 3 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .229 | 40 | 14 | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .242 | 34 | 11 | 23 | 2 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .209 | 40 | 6 | 28 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-26%
ERA at Home
2026
No Stats
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | 2.36 | 1.18 | 61.0 | 10.0 | 2.7 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | 3.19 | 1.26 | 62.0 | 10.3 | 3.8 | ||||
| 2026Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2026Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2025Home | 3.19 | 1.32 | 31.0 | 10.2 | 4.1 | ||||
| 2025Away | 3.41 | 1.41 | 29.0 | 9.3 | 4.0 | ||||
| 2024Home | 1.50 | 1.03 | 30.0 | 9.9 | 1.2 | ||||
| 2024Away | 3.00 | 1.12 | 33.0 | 11.2 | 3.5 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Orion Kerkering compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
2.41K/9
9.8BB/9
4.1HR/9
0.9Fastball
97.4 mphERA
3.30WHIP
1.37BABIP
.320GB/FB
1.29Left On Base
73.4%Exit Velocity
80.9 mphBarrels/BBE
3.6%Spin Rate
2626 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
20.6%Swinging Strike
9.9%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
Kerkering's first full season in the majors was delayed by a few weeks due to what the Phillies called a "right forearm strain". In reality, the 23-year-old was simply rebuilding strength after missing extensive time during spring training due to a severe case of the flu. Kerkering was activated in mid-April and pitched on the lower-end of Philadelphia's high-leverage hierarchy, typically working the sixth or seventh innings. The rookie was outstanding, posting a 2.29 ERA (3.19 xERA) and 1.08 WHIP over 63 innings with a 23.2 K-BB percentage that ranked 20th among qualified relievers. Kerkering failed to record any saves in 2024, but remains in the conversation as a potential closer of the future in Philadelphia.
More Fantasy News
Lands on IL
The Phillies placed Kerkering (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Analysis
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Opening season on IL
Kerkering (hamstring) will begin the regular season on the injured list, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Cleared to pitch in minors game
Kerkering (hamstring) is slated to make an appearance Tuesday in a minor-league game on the back fields of camp, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Analysis
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Could pitch Tuesday after live BP
Kerkering (hamstring) said after throwing a live batting practice session Saturday that he expects to pitch in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Scheduled for live BP Saturday
Kerkering (hamstring) will throw a live batting practice session Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Benefiting from rehab assignment
Kerkering noted Friday that he's been getting a better feel for his two-seam fastball during his rehab assignment, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Analysis
Kerkering said that his time in the minors and "seeing different hitters and seeing what they do" has helped him figure out how to better use his two-seamer. He started the season on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain and a bad case of the flu that kept him from pitching in Grapefruit League games after March 1. In his latest outing with Single-A Fort Myers, Kerkering pitched a scoreless inning with three strikeouts, and he is expected to return to the Phillies' bullpen this weekend. The 23-year-old has the makings of a future closer.
Kerkering said that his time in the minors and "seeing different hitters and seeing what they do" has helped him figure out how to better use his two-seamer. He started the season on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain and a bad case of the flu that kept him from pitching in Grapefruit League games after March 1. In his latest outing with Single-A Fort Myers, Kerkering pitched a scoreless inning with three strikeouts, and he is expected to return to the Phillies' bullpen this weekend. The 23-year-old has the makings of a future closer.