2026 Stats
W-L
1-0
ERA
2.20
WHIP
1.16
K
12
SV
1
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.
Notches first save of 2026
Kerkering walked one and struck out one while giving up an unearned run in the 10th inning Friday to record his first save of the season in an 11-9 win over the Pirates.
Analysis
With Jhoan Duran not yet pitching on back-to-back days and Brad Keller having worked Wednesday and Thursday, interim manager Don Mattingly has to get creative with his high-leverage arms. Jose Alvarado struck out the side in a scoreless ninth, and then after the Phillies rang up three runs in the top of the 10th, Kerkering got the call and allowed only the phantom runner to score. The right-hander hasn't seen much usage in key situations this season, and through 16.1 innings over 18 appearances he sports a 2.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB with just one win and one hold in addition to Friday's save.
With Jhoan Duran not yet pitching on back-to-back days and Brad Keller having worked Wednesday and Thursday, interim manager Don Mattingly has to get creative with his high-leverage arms. Jose Alvarado struck out the side in a scoreless ninth, and then after the Phillies rang up three runs in the top of the 10th, Kerkering got the call and allowed only the phantom runner to score. The right-hander hasn't seen much usage in key situations this season, and through 16.1 innings over 18 appearances he sports a 2.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB with just one win and one hold in addition to Friday's save.
Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
2024
2023
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
16
Last 10 Games
14
Last 5 Games
13
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 2024
-10%
BAA vs RHP
2026
-7%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .241 | 66 | 26 | 51 | 6 | |||
| Since 2024vs Right | .218 | 85 | 25 | 67 | 4 | |||
| 2026vs Left | .192 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | |||
| 2026vs Right | .206 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 1 | |||
| 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
-33%
ERA at Home
2026
-75%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | 2.18 | 1.14 | 70.1 | 9.7 | 2.4 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | 3.26 | 1.29 | 69.0 | 9.8 | 4.2 | ||||
| 2026Home | 0.96 | 0.86 | 9.1 | 7.7 | 1.0 | ||||
| 2026Away | 3.86 | 1.57 | 7.0 | 5.1 | 7.7 | ||||
| 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
1.71K/9
6.6BB/9
3.9HR/9
1.1Fastball
96.7 mphERA
2.20WHIP
1.16BABIP
.227GB/FB
0.83Left On Base
86.4%Exit Velocity
79.3 mphBarrels/BBE
3.5%Spin Rate
2566 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
14.1%Swinging Strike
8.2%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
Turns in another scoreless outing
Kerkering threw a clean seventh inning Friday against Miami. He struck out one.
Analysis
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Activated from injured list
The Phillies activated Kerkering (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Expected to return Tuesday
Kerkering (hamstring) has rejoined the team and is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Giants, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Back-to-back rehab appearances
Kerkering (hamstring) will make the second of back-to-back rehab appearances Wednesday at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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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
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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.