Phillies Recall Max Lazar to Replace Struggling Orion Kerkering

The Philadelphia Phillies have recalled Max Lazar from the minors to fill a hole in their bullpen.

Jul 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Max Lazar (60) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the Philadelphia Phillies get set for the final game of their series with the New York Mets, the team is going to have a different look in their bullpen. 

On Saturday, it was a terrible loss for the Phillies. The Mets were able to beat them by a score of 10-3, and the two areas of concern for the team heading down the stretch continued to be an issue. 

For the fifth straight game, the Phillies scored exactly three runs. That is a strange feat to accomplish, but three runs isn’t going to win a lot of baseball games, and that has been the case of late for Philadelphia. For most of September, this has been an offense that has underachieved, and players are slumping at the wrong time with the playoffs right around the corner. 

Furthermore, the other area that hasn’t been good for the team is the bullpen. After a terrible outing on Saturday night for Orion Kerkering, it was announced that he would be getting sent to Triple-A. 

The right-hander was expected to be a key piece of the bullpen this year, but he has not pitched well for the last two and a half months. With an ERA in September of 18.69, the time for him to be sent down was the right one. Now, with a need to fill the spot, the team has called up Max Lazar. 

Phillies Recall Max Lazar

Phillies will recall Max Lazar to fill Orion Kerkering's spot on roster. Whether they play today remains to be seen. Could be a long day.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) September 20, 2026

The 27-year-old right-hander has pitched in six games for the Phillies in the majors so far this year. Overall, he has totaled a 5.63 ERA in eight innings. The sample size for him is very small, and the hope will be that he can be a positive contributor. 

In mostly Triple-A this season, he has totaled a 4.06 ERA in 31 games. Overall, Lazar isn’t someone who is likely to come in and save the bullpen, but he will be able to eat some innings if needed. 

What the Phillies try to do for the bullpen will be interesting to see. The unit overall has struggled quite a bit, and how they are going to fix it before October remains to be seen. Perhaps if Jesus Luzardo is able to return in some capacity, he will be able to either return to the starting rotation or come out of the bullpen. Furthermore, with a strong trio of starters in Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez, and Aaron Nola, that could also result in Painter moving to the bullpen to help out.