Out
Injury Hamstring
Est. Return 2/26/2026
2025 Stats
W-L
8-4
ERA
3.30
WHIP
1.37
K
65
SV
4
2026 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 2025.
On mend from hamstring strain
The Phillies announced Wednesday that Kerkering will be delayed at the start of spring training while he recovers from a Grade 1 hamstring strain, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
Kerkering will be limited to rehab work in the early stages of camp, but because he's typically deployed as a one-inning reliever, he won't need much ramp-up time once he's cleared to get back on a mound. The hard-throwing right-hander hasn't quite developed into the reliable high-leverage option the Phillies envisioned when he first reached the big leagues in 2023, but he'll be a key part of the bridge to closer Jhoan Duran in 2026.
Kerkering will be limited to rehab work in the early stages of camp, but because he's typically deployed as a one-inning reliever, he won't need much ramp-up time once he's cleared to get back on a mound. The hard-throwing right-hander hasn't quite developed into the reliable high-leverage option the Phillies envisioned when he first reached the big leagues in 2023, but he'll be a key part of the bridge to closer Jhoan Duran in 2026.
Pitching Stats
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2025 MLB Game Log
2025
2024
2023
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
15
Last 10 Games
16
Last 5 Games
12
How many pitches does Orion Kerkering generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Orion Kerkering generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-9%
BAA vs RHP
2025
-9%
BAA vs RHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023vs Left | .244 | 64 | 24 | 47 | 5 | |||
| Since 2023vs Right | .222 | 81 | 22 | 62 | 3 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 2023vs Left | .143 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Right | .400 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-30%
ERA at Home
2025
-6%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023Home | 2.29 | 1.17 | 63.0 | 10.3 | 2.7 | ||||
| Since 2023Away | 3.29 | 1.29 | 63.0 | 10.4 | 3.9 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 2023Home | 0.00 | 1.00 | 2.0 | 18.0 | 4.5 | ||||
| 2023Away | 9.00 | 3.00 | 1.0 | 18.0 | 9.0 | ||||
| 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
Beginning to struggle
Kerkering allowed one run on three hits in one inning Sunday against the Diamondbacks.
Analysis
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Picks up fourth save
Kerkering earned the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Nationals, allowing one run on one hit and no walks with one strikeout in the ninth inning.
Analysis
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Notches rare save
Kerkering picked up the save in Monday's 4-1 win against the Reds, pitching a clean inning with one strikeout.
Analysis
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Back to handling setup role
Kerkering picked up a hold Sunday against the Rangers after allowing one hit and no walks with no strikeouts in a scoreless eighth inning.
Analysis
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Moves past apparent injury
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Kerkering was unavailable to pitch in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Giants due to soreness but is available Wednesday, Lochlahn March 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.