Camp notes: The one thing missing from Orion Kerkering’s Grapefruit League debut; Justin Crawford triples off Skubal
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Orion Kerkering’s first Grapefruit League outing of the spring was a mixed bag. He allowed one run on two hits and walked one batter. His defense helped him out. He had one strikeout. He threw 96 mph. Most importantly, he was out there.
“He was fine,” manager Rob Thomson said after the Phillies tied the Tigers, 4-4, on Friday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark. “I thought he got better as the inning went on. Threw a couple good sliders.”
Kerkering got a late start to the spring due to a hamstring issue. He pitched in a minor-league game at the Carpenter Complex on Tuesday, then finally made his appearance in a big-league exhibition. But one thing was missing from Kerkering’s inning of work: his splitter.
“He didn’t throw a split, which I wanted to see today,” Thomson said. “I think he threw 18 or 19 pitches and didn’t throw a split. So we need to see that.” (Kerkering threw 16 total pitches.)
Thomson was not quite sure why the reliever did not use his splitter, but he did not ask him. The addition of a reliable third pitch to play off Kerkering’s fastball and slider could make him less predictable and add another weapon to the 24-year-old’s arsenal. That’s the reason Thomson was adamant about Kerkering needing to mix in the extra offering.
“It was just fastball-slider,” Thomson said. “Maybe that’s what he wanted to concentrate on. I want to see the split.”
Kerkering will have his next chance to show off the splitter on Monday when he pitches in another minor-league game. It will take place on the final day of big-league camp, which leaves the right-hander’s status for Opening Day in question. The Phillies will begin the 2026 regular season next Thursday, March 26, against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park.
Crawford triples off ace
Outfielder Justin Crawford, who is poised to be Philadelphia’s starting center fielder as a rookie, turned some heads with a scorcher of a triple off Tarik Skubal, the best pitcher in all of baseball, on Friday. As a left-handed batter facing the left-handed Skubal, Crawford waited on an 86 mph changeup and lined it into the right-field corner at 106 mph off the bat.
The speedy 22-year-old dove into third base with a triple. He’s now slashing .277/.320/.383 in 16 games this spring. He has no home runs, but he’s not expected to provide much power. He’s struck out 10 times and drawn two walks. Thomson has been impressed with the quality of Crawford’s plate appearances.
“He’s controlled the strike zone,” Thomson said. “His hit ability is unbelievable. He knows where that barrel is, and he makes adjustments in a heartbeat. For a young guy like that, that’s really impressive. Really opens your eyes. And he hung in there on Skubal and had a couple of good at-bats.”
Camp notes
- Thomson announced his starting rotation to start the regular season, with Cristopher Sánchez getting the nod for Opening Day. Read more on how the Phillies will align the staff:
- Zack Wheeler (thoracic outlet decompression surgery) will start the minor-league game that Kerkering will appear in on Monday. He’ll throw two innings, Thomson said.
- On the big-league side, right-hander Ryan Cusick will be brought up from minors camp to start for the Phillies as they travel to Sarasota on Saturday to face the Orioles. Aaron Nola will pitch against the Yankees on Sunday in Tampa, while Jesús Luzardo will take the mound for Monday’s spring finale versus the Rays in Clearwater.