The Phillies Finally Plug In The Power For Their Closing Star: Orion Kerkering

Injuries reshape fantasy baseball rosters and force painful decisions—like missing out on rising Phillies closer Orion Kerkering just as his value spikes.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering (50) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

I once told a close friend of mine that fantasy baseball was a selfish game due to an imbalance of power when making draft, lineup, and waiver decisions. Having two decision-makers leads to mistakes, along with tension when a fantasy line has been drawn in the sand between two players, as results on the field always show who was right. 

At the same time, the flow of the fantasy game has many rhythms throughout the season, as team management is often affected by injuries. A healthy roster enables a manager to hold onto some players of future value, with the goal of improving their starting lineup down the road.

When a fantasy team suffers injuries to its star or starting players, it forces a manager to the waiver wire to fill the voids, in the hope of surviving a week or more in the category standings. These injuries penalize hurt rosters by taking away bench spots for healthy upside players or rotational pitching. These situations create a double jeopardy penalty for the compromised rosters.

Phillies Orion Kerkering Secures First Major League Save

Last night, Orion Kerkering secured his first major league save, a step toward a long-term ninth inning opportunity in the Phillies’ bullpen. His closing opportunity falls into my selfish realm, as I have been tracking his progress all year. Unfortunately, I didn’t have room for him on my rosters this free agent period due to injuries. 

Congratulations to Orion Kerkering on earning his first career save tonight! pic.twitter.com/kkK5w2Rg7P

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 17, 2025

By protecting the lead in a closing situation, it brings shine to his name, and a second save this week would make it extremely difficult to add him in free agency bidding leagues. In the NFBC main event last week, 10 fantasy managers were ahead of his potential closing curve, allowing them to add him for less money (high–$14 and low–$1). 

Kerkering is sitting on a 14.1-inning scoreless streak with 13 strikeouts and six holds, but he did issue seven walks. His command (16 walks over 28.1 innings) has been off all season. Last year, Kerkering pitched well in Philadelphia’s bullpen, leading to a 2.29 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts over 63.0 innings while throwing a lot more strikes (17 walks). 

Orion Kerkering has a 0.53 ERA since May 1.

ERA now at 2.54. Career ERA at 2.39. #Phillies

— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) June 17, 2025

He is the closer of the future for the Phillies, thanks to a plus fastball (97.2 mph) and a high usage (52.4%), swing-and-miss slider. Kerkering should be added to all fantasy teams, as one save could turn into a decade-long closing role.

Jordan Romano doesn’t have a save in June, partly due to the Phillies going 2-7 to open the month. In their last three wins by three runs or fewer, Philadelphia won in extra innings at home (no save chance). Matt Strahm closed for them on June 14th in a game where Romano didn’t pitch despite having the previous four days off. Their last close win was last night. Romano hasn’t allowed a run or hit over his last three innings with one walk and three strikeouts. His season-long body of work (6.84 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 26.1 innings with 34 strikeouts) doesn’t support a high-leverage opportunity.

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In my selfish fantasy world, I hope Kerkering doesn’t get another save this week and the Phillies create one or more save chances. By doing so, his price in FAAB leagues has the potential to be lower. Unfortunately, Philadelphia is trying to win games, and they don’t care about my “all about me” thoughts.