Philadelphia Phillies fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Ahead of Tuesday night's game in San Francisco, the team announced that right-handed relief pitcher Orion Kerkering is returning to the team following a stint on the injured list due to a hamstring strain.
Kerkering will replace Kyle Backhus on the active roster, who allowed three runs in three innings to begin the 2026 season. After a solid 2025 regular season, but reputation-altering postseason, tonight officially starts the Orion Kerkering redemption tour.
Prior to tonight’s game against SF, the Phillies returned RHP Orion Kerkering from his rehab assignment with LHV (AAA) and reinstated him from the 15-day IL. To make room for him on the 26-man roster, LHP Kyle Backhus was optioned to LHV following last night’s game.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 7, 2026
Orion Kerkering will assert himself quickly in return to Phillies roster
It shouldn't take much time for Phillies fans to remember how reliable Kerkering can be. He pitches to weak contact and avoids the opposition barreling up his pitches at an elite rate. That foundation has led to him appearing in 124 games over the last two seasons.
That's a hefty workload for anyone, but Kerkering has thrived in a consistent role. The Phillies' bullpen hasn't been too bad to begin the season, though they have a collective ERA north of 4.00 through 10 games. Jhoan Duran's prowess has mainly anchored the relief staff, as well as Tim Mayza's surprise emergence. Besides that, we aren't running any victory laps just yet on the Phillies' bullpen being top notch.
Ideally, Kerkering adds some more reliability. In 69 appearances last year, he saw 52 of them go scoreless. He was strong against the Nationals and the Braves, owning an ERA in the low-to-mid 3.00s against them, but struggled against the other two NL East rivals. If he can make the proper adjustments while facing the Mets (three runs, four walks, 2.1 IP) and the Marlins (four runs, three walks, 5.1 IP), then we can expect Kerkering to be within the inner circle of trust in his third full season as a big leaguer.
Manager Rob Thomson has turned to seven relievers constantly in the early going. Those seven have each appeared in at least four games, with Duran (six) leading the way ahead of José Alvarado, Brad Keller, and Mayza each getting the ball five times. Expect for Kerkering to be in that mix once he settles into big league action, as the Phillies (and their fans) allow bygones to be bygones.
His delayed opening was due to injury, not a bruised ego following a 2025 playoff exit that came far too soon (and by his hand), but still, the pause served to reinforce a slow on-ramp. Now, he's ready to leave it in the past.