Orion Kerkering Expected To Return In Early April
4 weeks agoPhiladelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering (forearm) pitched on Thursday in Florida, touching 98 mph with his fastball. Kerkering's strained right forearm is healed now, but he is rebuilding arm strength after missing weeks of spring training because of an illness. Expected to be activated as soon as he's eligible on April 9, the 22-year-old right-hander will probably serve as a middle reliever out of Philly's bullpen upon his 2024 debut. But Kerkering is the No. 6 Phillies prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and their likely closer of the future after being tasked with critical innings during the 2023 playoffs, holding his own with a 3.38 ERA (3.07 FIP) and five strikeouts covering 5 1/3 frames last postseason. After Jose Alvarado gave up five runs in Friday's Opening Day loss to the Atlanta Braves, it can't help but feel like Kerkering's fantasy stock rose a bit. He belongs on all watchlists.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com