The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to activate reliever Orion Kerkering from the injured list before a game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, April 7, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Left-hander Kyle Backhus is headed back to Triple-A to clear a roster spot for Kerkering.
The 25-year-old Kerkering missed the first 10 games of the 2026 regular season with a hamstring strain suffered in Spring Training. The injury allowed Backhus to break camp with the club. Philadelphia rolled with four lefties in the bullpen to begin the year, with Backhus joining Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks, and Tim Mayza. Swapping Kerkering for Backhus will revert the unit to a more traditional three-lefty look.
Kerkering was on the mound for the final play of the Phillies’ 2025 season. His throwing error allowed Hyeseong Kim to score the winning run in the 11th inning of Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series, propelling the Los Angeles Dodgers to the next round of the postseason. The Dodgers would, of course, go on to win their second consecutive World Series title.
Philadelphia Phillies to Activate Orion Kerkering, Option Kyle Backhus
Kerkering’s year was defined by the brutal season-ending blunder, but he put together a solid 2025. The right-hander delivered a 3.30 ERA across a career-high 69 appearances. Kerkering ranked second on the team with 19 holds, behind Matt Strahm. He also recorded the first four saves of his career.
The 2025 campaign did see Kerkering fall off in a couple of metrics after his breakout 2024 season. The righty posted a 24.4% strikeout rate last season, a 4.4% decrease from the previous year. His walk rate rose from a tidy 6.6% to a concerning 10.2%.
The Phillies selected Kerkering in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. He zoomed through the minor league system, piling up strikeouts at every stop. Kerkering notched a 38% strikeout rate in his first full professional season. He put up a silly 58.8% mark in 2024, leading to a promotion to the big leagues.
Backhus Headed to the Minors After Rough Start
The Phillies acquired Backhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a December trade. Philadelphia sent back outfield prospect Avery Owusu-Asiedu. It was a minor deal that didn’t get much fanfare until Backhus began pushing for a big-league roster spot. The sidewinding lefty provided seven innings of a 1.29 ERA in Spring Training. He didn’t rack up strikeouts, but limited walks and got groundballs at a solid clip. The showing was enough to earn Backhus a spot on the Phillies to begin the year.
Backhus was unable to replicate his spring success in the regular season. He ceded three earned runs over three innings across four appearances. All three tallies against Backhus came in one appearance, a disastrous outing against the Texas Rangers on Opening Day. The lefty gave up a two-run home run to Jake Burger, turning a 5-0 lead into a save situation. Jhoan Duran allowed an inherited runner to score, but slammed the door to preserve the 5-3 victory. Backhus got back on track with three straight scoreless outings. He’ll head to the minors as a depth option if one of the remaining lefties falters with Philadelphia.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Phillies Expected to Get Key Reliever Back Ahead Of Giants Matchup appeared first on Heavy Sports.