Phillies have a huge Orion Kerkering problem they cannot continue to ignore

The Philadelphia Phillies have a fantastic starting rotation, and their offense has been al ot better lately than it has been for the majority of the 2026 season.

Jhoan Duran is a great closer as well, but when it comes to getting to Duran in a save situation, the Phillies have some problems. One of the biggest issues for the Phillies is with Orion Kerkering, the right-hander who's struggling again this season.

As Matt Gelb of The Athletic highlighted following another poor outing, this time in a big game against the Atlanta Braves, Kerkering's struggles have grown to a point where some change is needed.

Phillies have a big Orion Kerkering problem that has an easy solution

"It was hard not to think about October - and the inning that came before Kerkering's latest stumble," Gelb writes. "... And Kerkering, the man who was once the shiny new bullpen toy like McFarlane is now, remains a symbol of past postseason bullpen failures."

Alex McFarlane, one inning before Kerkering allowed a two-run homer to put the Braves well ahead of the Phillies, got through a clean seventh inning.

That performance, juxtaposed to Kerkering's blow-up outing on Friday night, has made it clear the Phillies should be making a switch in the bullpen.

While Duran is the closer, and Jonathan Bowlan has been handed eighth-inning duties for much of the year, giving McFarlane a chance to be the next-man up instead of Kerkering seems like a must at this point in the season.

Kerkering's ERA is up to 4.12 this season, and it's thanks to his very poor production recently. In his last four outings, he has a 12.27 ERA with three walks allowed and just two strikeouts.

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Even over his last 10 outings, Kerkering's ERA sits at 7.71, which is not good enough to earn a high-leverage spot in the bullpen.

That's especially the case when McFarlane continues to prove he's trustworthy. At least, more so than Kerkering at this point in the regular season.

The Phillies won't be getting rid of Kerkering, but moving him down the list of relievers out of the bullpen would make a lot of sense. Duran, Bowlan, and McFarlane are the three best relievers in Philadelphia this season.

Kerkering should be joining Jose Alvarado and Brooks Raley in the lower-leverage opportunities coming out of the bullpen.

He's become a big problem for the Phillies, as his recent production is too poor to ignore. The Phillies need to make a change, and with McFarlane thriving, he can easily slide into the third reliever role for Philadelphia.

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