Phillies Sending Orion Kerkering to Triple-A is the Right Move

The Philadelphia Phillies have made the right move in sending Orion Kerkering to the minors.

Aug 25, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering (50) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies are almost at the end of the regular season with just seven games to go entering Sunday. With a chance to clinch a playoff berth right there, the team is hoping to finish strong. However, they have had some notable struggles in some key areas of late. 

On Saturday, the Phillies entered their matchup with the New York Mets hoping to take control of the series. Despite having a lead early, Andrew Painter gave up a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, and that proved to be enough for the Mets, with the Phillies’ offense and bullpen struggling after that. 

These are two major areas of concern for the team heading into the playoffs, and if they don’t get fixed quickly, it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia going very far in October. 

While it has been a group effort for the most part in the struggles, one of the players who has not performed well in the bullpen is Orion Kerkering. The 25-year-old is a player that the team believed would be a key piece in high-leverage roles for them out of the bullpen, but the results have been bad. After the game on Saturday, it was announced that they would be demoting him to Triple-A. 

Sending Down Kerkering is the Right Move

Aug 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering (50) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While it might have been Saturday night that was the final straw, Kerkering is a pitcher who has struggled for quite some time. In the loss to the Mets, he allowed four runs in one inning pitched and saw his ERA balloon to 18.69 in September. In two appearances against New York in the last two days, he has allowed seven runs in just two innings pitched. 

The struggles have been most notable in September, but he totaled an ERA over 5.00 in both August and July as well. For the last two and a half months, he has not pitched well, and this is a move that makes a lot of sense. 

At 25 years old, he can still be part of the future plans in the bullpen for the team. However, sending him out there right now simply doesn’t make sense. With Kerkering being sent down, it will likely be a clear indication that he isn’t going to be on the potential postseason roster for Philadelphia. With how he has performed, this is the right move, and the Phillies will be going to the drawing board to figure out how to navigate the struggles of this unit.