Stay or Go: Should the Phillies believe Orion Kerkering can bounce back?
No one will forget the way the 2024 season ended for the Phillies, with Orion Kerkering fumbling a comebacker and throwing Philadelphia’s last hope to the backstop at Dodger Stadium. It wasn’t the only reason the Phillies fell to Los Angeles in the National League Division Series, but Kerkering’s extra-inning error to end Game 4 was a shocking moment — the kind that sticks in people’s memories.
Will Kerkering, a promising young reliever who has hit some bumps in the road, be able to move on next year in Philadelphia, or should the Phillies consider giving him a change of scenery? Our writers gave their best answers in the latest edition of our Stay or Go series. Read what they had to say, and vote in our poll below.
Previous editions of Stay or Go:
Destiny Lugardo — Site Director — Maybe
This is a tough one. My real answer is the Phillies should do what’s best for Kerkering. If they think he’s better off leaving Philadelphia after making that play, they should trade him. If they think his best path to a successful career as a backend reliever is with the Phillies, they should keep him. I can’t help but think back to Kerkering’s first few weeks as a Phillie and being in awe of his poise during and after Game 1 of the 2023 NLDS. That leads me to believe that he can get through it and continue to be a really good major-league reliever.
Ty Daubert — Editorial Director — Stay
Kerkering should stay, but there will be some pressure on him to pitch well in the early parts of 2026. He had 4.43 ERA in August and September, struggled to strand inherited runners late in the season and stumbled in his final NLDS opportunity. Fans could quickly grow impatient if the right-hander does not start next year on the right note, and he could risk falling down the pecking order in the bullpen, depending on what additions the team makes this offseason. But Kerkering should have the chance to prove he can move on from this past season and get big outs in 2026.
Bailey Digh — Staff Writer — Stay
I understand why people would say to move on here. But I don’t think the Phillies should. Yes, Kerkering’s play in NLDS Game 4 was brutal. But I think the club has the resources to help Kerkering get through it. The Phillies need to add a reliever or two this winter. Getting rid of Kerkering would only create more of a need there. The right-hander hasn’t become the high-end, high-leverage arm some projected. But he’s only entering his age-25 season. It was a tough year for Kerkering. It happens. Moving on would be a mistake.
Nathan Ackerman — Staff Writer — Stay
There’s one person who can honestly judge whether Orion Kerkering can pitch again in Philadelphia after that, and his name is Orion Kerkering. If he feels like he can recover, another go-around should be a no-brainer. It wasn’t a good season for Kerkering, and when you looked up at the end of it, it was a 3.30 ERA, including 2.77 after April, with more than a strikeout per inning, control problems that haven’t really been a thing for him otherwise and maybe some miscasting as a dirty-inning escape guy (something they do need to work on). The Phillies have needs in the bullpen. They shouldn’t go create more.