Orion Kerkering Fantasy Stats

Philadelphia Phillies right-handed reliever Orion Kerkering (hamstring) will pitch in a minor-league game on Tuesday, according to Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Kerkering is ready to make his first appearance in a game this spring after throwing a successful live batting practice session in camp over the weekend. The 24-year-old is recovering from a Grade 1 right-hamstring strain, but barring a setback, he has time to be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season at the end of this month. The hard-throwing former fifth-rounder in 2022 out of the University of South Florida struggled with command in 2025, walking 27 batters in 60 relief innings during the regular season. He also went 8-4 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and the first four saves of his big-league career. Kerking also had 19 holds for the Phillies. He'll only be appealing in fantasy in leagues that count holds in 2026.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering (hamstring) threw a successful live batting practice session on Tuesday. Afterwards, Kerkering told reporters he expects to pitch in Tuesday's Grapefruit contest against the Minnesota Twins. Kerkering has been held out of game action this spring while dealing with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. The right-hander is hopeful to pitch in three Spring Training contests before Opening Day. Kerkering posted a 3.30 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 65/27 K/BB ratio across 60 innings of work in 2025. He's likely going to operate as one of the primary setup relievers for closer Jhoan Duran.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering (hamstring) was able to throw a successful bullpen session on Saturday. As expected, Kerkering took the mound for his third throwing session since suffering a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Barring any setbacks, Kerkering is likely to begin facing hitters after this session. The expectation is that he'll be ready for Opening Day with plenty of time to build up ahead of the regular season. Last year, Kerkering registered a 3.30 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 65/27 K/BB ratio across 60 innings of work. He's expected to operate as one of the primary setup options for closer Jhoan Duran.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday. This will mark the first time that Kerkering has thrown since suffering a Grade 1 hamstring strain earlier this month. If everything goes well, Kerkering should progress to facing live hitters. After that, Kerkering should get back to pitching in live games. The right-hander has plenty of time to ramp up at his own pace before Opening Day. Last season, Kerkering posted a 3.30 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and a 65/27 K/BB ratio across 69 games with the Phillies. He figures to be an important late-inning option, but his fantasy value is limited due to the lack of save opportunities.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering (hamstring) has a Grade 1 hamstring strain, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Kerkering is "a little behind" as spring training gets underway. While this is certainly a situation worth monitoring, it doesn't sound like Kerkering's injury is too serious, and he should be ready for Opening Day if he doesn't experience any setbacks. The 24-year-old fell out of the closer-by-committee group when Philadelphia acquired Jhoan Duran last year, but he still posted a solid 3.82 FIP with 9.75 K/9, 4.05 BB/9, and a 42% ground ball rate across 69 appearances (60.0 innings). However, without many save opportunities in his future, he's not a very appealing option in fantasy baseball drafts.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Orion Kerkering notched his fourth save of the season on Sunday against the Washington Nationals as the Phillies went on to win the ballgame 3-2. Although he converted the save, he allowed one earned run on one hit and no walks with one strikeout in the ninth inning. With Jhoan Duran unavailable after pitching on back-to-back days, Kerkering was called on in the ninth to close things out for the Phillies. The one run he allowed came on a solo homerun to Luis Garc a. The 24-year-old now owns an impressive 2.92 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 51/21 K/BB to go along with 19 holds and four saves across 49.1 innings this season. Kerkering remains a strong reliever option for leagues that reward holds and ERA.

Philadelphia Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering fell to 5-3 on the season as the team dropped a 2-1 nail-biter against the Houston Astros on Thursday. The right-hander has recently been part of a closer committee for the Phillies, but they summoned him to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning in a 1-1 game. Kerkering allowed two singles, including an RBI knock by Cam Smith, and hit a batter during his inning of work. It was the first time Kerkering yielded an earned run since May 6, ending a 19-game streak. The 24-year-old still owns a quality 2.56 ERA with 29:17 K:BB, 11 holds, and two saves over 31 2/3 innings. Kerkering and Matt Strahm remain the top candidates for saves in the Phillies' bullpen. Jordan Romano has a team-high eight saves, but he hasn't recorded one since May 29.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering threw a clean ninth inning to preserve a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday. Kerkering was tasked with finishing off a dominant performance for Cristopher Sanchez. After an error and a single put runners on the corners, Kerkering was able to escape the jam to pick up his second save. The 24-year-old now has two saves, 11 holds, a 2.37 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts in 30 IP. It seems to be a two-headed approach in the Phillies' bullpen right now, with Kerkering and Matt Strahm each picking up multiple saves in the last few weeks. It will likely remain that way, although Strahm has struggled a bit recently. Both are worth a look in deeper formats where saves are tough to come by.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering recorded his first major league save in a 5-2 win against the Marlins on Monday. He retired all three batters he faced and struck out one. This was the 16th straight scoreless appearance for the 24-year-old, who has been one of the most consistent pieces of Philadelphia's bullpen this season. He has a 2.54 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 28 innings. The closing situation is up in the air at the moment, with Jordan Romano getting the seventh and Matt Strahm pitching the eighth in this game. Romano hasn't recorded a save since May 29th, which came right before he allowed a run in three straight appearances between June 1 and June 6. The three of them should be viewed as a committee at this point, but Kerkering may have passed Romano as the top right-handed option out of the pen.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering will serve as the opener on Sunday afternoon as the Phillies look to clinch a series victory over the Oakland Athletics. Right-hander Michael Mercado will operate in a bulk role. Zack Wheeler (back) was originally scheduled to take the mound on Sunday afternoon but the Phillies will opt to give their ace some more rest as he experienced lower-back tightness in his previous start. Kerkering will likely only be called upon to pitch the opening frame, as he never recorded more than five outs at a time this season. He is currently riding an eight-inning shutout streak. Mercado struggled in his previous outing against the Atlanta Braves on July 7 when he allowed five runs but looked much sharper in his previous outing, where he allowed only one run across five innings. Mercado could be a sneaky play in DFS this afternoon, as he should have a great opportunity to tally a win and a handful of punchouts against Oakland.