The Philadelphia Phillies optioned right-handed reliever Orion Kerkering to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday night after another rough outing in a 10-3 loss to the New York Mets.
Kerkering allowed four earned runs, four hits and two walks in one inning of work in the eighth. The Mets scored four times in that frame to pull away. The appearance came one night after he surrendered a three-run homer to Juan Soto in a 6-3 defeat.
The 25-year-old now owns a 4.97 ERA in 62 games this season, his highest mark in the majors. He has thrown 58 innings with 63 strikeouts and 34 walks. His WHIP sits at 1.45.
Kerkering posted a 2.43 ERA before the All-Star break. Since then he has an 8.10 ERA across 22 appearances. He has been scored on in half of those games.
Over his last seven outings the ERA is 15.43. In his last 15 games it is 10.29. He has allowed a run in eight of his last nine appearances.
Interim manager Don Mattingly said before the official move that his concern about Kerkering was high.
“Pretty high degree of worry about him,” Mattingly said.
Mattingly also addressed how hard it had become to find spots for the pitcher.
“You have to be able to use him there,” Mattingly said. “In a game like that. Not going to try to chase a three-run deficit in that inning. Yeah, it’s hard to find places to use him.”
Kerkering led the Phillies with 17 holds this year and recorded two saves. Only Jose Alvarado appeared in more games out of the bullpen. He had worked as a primary setup man in front of closer Jhoan Duran for much of the season.
Velocity has dipped slightly in the second half. His four-seam fastball has averaged 96.9 mph after sitting at 97.5 mph before the break. His strikeout rate has fallen to 20 percent since the All-Star Game.
The Phillies selected Kerkering in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of the University of South Florida. He reached the majors in September 2023 and posted a 1.51 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 53 2/3 minor-league innings that year.
He made his big-league debut against the Mets with a perfect inning. He also appeared in the 2023 postseason. In June 2025 he recorded his first career save.
Last October a throwing error by Kerkering in the 11th inning of Game 4 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers allowed the series-winning run to score. The Dodgers went on to win the World Series.
Philadelphia entered Saturday at 85-70 and still chasing a National League wild-card berth. The club sits a half-game behind the San Diego Padres and one game behind the Chicago Cubs with seven games remaining.
The Phillies have not yet announced a corresponding roster move. They will need another arm for the final week of the regular season.
Kerkering had dealt with turf toe earlier this month and wore a walking boot away from the park. Both he and Mattingly said Friday that the issue was no longer a factor.
The demotion means the Phillies will head into October without a pitcher who had been a trusted late-inning option for three seasons.
