The Phillies are sending Orion Kerkering to Triple-A after a rough night against the Mets pushed his recent slide to a breaking point, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
Kerkering has been one of Philadelphia’s most important relief arms in recent seasons, and he entered the year as a major piece of the late-inning mix. He leads the club with 17 holds and has also picked up two saves, serving as a key setup man ahead of closer Jhoan Duran. Only Jose Alvarado has appeared in more games out of the Phillies’ bullpen.
But the second half has gone sideways fast. Kerkering took a 2.43 ERA into the break, then stumbled to an 8.10 ERA over 22 games afterward. He has been scored upon in half of those outings, and the four-run appearance against New York was enough to seal the move.
The underlying numbers have backed up the eye test. Kerkering’s four-seam fastball has averaged 96.9 mph in the second half, down from 97.5 before the break.
His slider has also dipped a bit, while his strikeout rate has fallen to 20%. He has still been handing out walks at a double-digit clip.
This is the latest twist in a difficult stretch for Kerkering. Philadelphia’s 2025 season ended with his error in Game 4 of the NLDS, when an errant throw on a comebacker gave the Dodgers a series-clinching win.
He appeared to put that behind him with a strong start to 2026, but the momentum didn’t last. Asked about his confidence moving forward, manager Don Mattingly said he had “ a pretty high degree of worry ” about Kerkering.
The Phillies have been able to absorb some of the damage thanks to Jonathan Bowlan, who has emerged as Mattingly’s preferred eighth-inning option. The former Royal has posted a 3.36 ERA in 59 appearances, with 14 holds and two saves.
For now, though, Philadelphia will have to sort out the eighth inning without him. Bowlan is unavailable with what Mattingly called a mild groin strain, and the team is not placing him on the injured list as he tries to pitch through it. It’s still unclear when he’ll be ready to return.
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