Phillies Reinstate Orion Kekering from 15-Day IL, Option Kyle Backus

Orion Kerkering has been activated from the injured list. He began the 2026 season on the 15-day IL due to a grade 1 right hamstring injury that affected him throughout Spring Training. Left-hander Kyle Backus was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Valley is where Kerkering has been since Opening Day on his rehab assignment. In 3 rehab appearances for the IronPigs, Kerkering threw 4 innings, while striking out 5, and allowing 1 earned run. It had been the plan for Kerkering to join the Phillies during the team’s current trip to San Francisco, since his eligibility to be activated from the IL was Monday.

Kerkering returns to the team with a lot of pressure on his back. After having a down year in 2025, where his ERA jumped over a full run from 2.29 in 2024 to 3.30, although a career high workload. Kerkering ended the season on the wrong side of Phillies history, making the errant throw to J.T. Realmuto in extra innings of game 4 of the NLDS that let the winning run score, walking off the series for the Dodgers. The offseason was then riddled with questions about his headspace and whether he would be traded, and then a cherry on top with getting stuck on the IL to start the year.

While there are a lot of variables that could cause pressure to be placed on Kerkering’s shoulders, there are also several things taking pressure off. For starters, he reenters a bullpen that is arguably the best and deepest it has been since his debut back in 2023. This bullpen is also coming off a historic series against the Colorado Rockies, being key components in the Phillies allowing a franchise low amount of runs to the Rockies in Coors Field at 6, also striking out 12 Rockies throughout the series. The bullpen, in general, has been arguably the strongest piece of the Phillies through the early part of the season. And now they get reinforcement with Kerkering, who is still a hard-throwing righty that was a key factor to the 2024 and 2025 bullpens, but could use him in earlier, lower leverage scenarios, which will be good for the Phillies and beneficial for Kerkering to get back into a groove.

Christopher DeMaio

Christopher is a Delaware County Native and a graduate of Devon Preparatory School, class of 2025. He is currently attending University and is in his second semester. Chris, growing up playing since the age of 4, fell in love with his hometown Phillies and continues that love with listening to sports radio, reading articles, writing for Philly Sports Reports’ Phillies team, and, of course, watching the Phils.

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