April 07, 2026
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
Orion Kerkering has settled in as a powerful bullpen weapon for the Phillies.
The Phillies are welcoming back a veteran arm, as the team announced that Orion Kerkering was being activated to the 26-man roster from the 15-day injured list Tuesday afternoon.
Kerkering got a late start to his spring with a hamstring strain but was able to work up to regular season strength with a few rehab starts in Triple-A.
As one of the better righties in the bullpen over the last few seasons, Kerkering's last big league appearance was probably the worst he'll ever have – as his detrimental errant throw against the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLDS in October ended the Phillies playoff run.
Prior to that mistake, Kerkering had a 2.77 ERA in a career high 69 appearances in 2025.
Making room for Kerkering is the departure of Backhus, who made the Phillies' Opening Day roster and didn't get a ton of work in the bigs after a bad debut. Despite having three scoreless outings, Backhus relented three runs in the opener, nearly costing the Phillies a win. He had a 9.00 ERA in three total innings.
Backhus was likely sent down to the minors because fellow relievers like Zach Pop and Jonathan Bowlan do not have any options remaining.
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