Phillies to reinstate Orion Kerkering, option Kyle Backhus

Reliever Orion Kerkering (hamstring) will officially be reinstated from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Left-hander Kyle Backhus will be optioned to the minor leagues in a corresponding move. The 25-year-old Kerkering will slot in as a right-handed setup man and middle-relief option for the club. It’ll be an extra boost for a Phillies bullpen unit that delivered five scoreless innings on Monday night.

“They’ve been great,” Thomson said of his relievers after Philadelphia’s 6-4 win over the Giants at Oracle Park. “Everybody. We’re going to activate Kerkering tomorrow. We just sent out Backhus, who’s been really good. So it’s kind of a good problem to have.”

Kerkering had a 3.30 ERA in 69 games last year, but his defensive blunder to end the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium will always be the moment that stands out most from his 2025 season. It will be crucial for him to show he can bounce back. Kerkering has been working on a splitter to play off his fastball and slider, and he allowed just one run in four rehab appearances for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Backhus, acquired in an offseason trade with the Diamondbacks, gave up three runs in one-third of an inning on Opening Day and has thrown three scoreless outings since then. Thomson said the lefty has looked better with each appearance. But a strong start to the year from fellow southpaw Tim Mayza, who cannot be optioned, seemed to move Backhus down in the pecking order. He could certainly return to the Phillies at some point this season as they cycle through different choices for their last few bullpen spots.

— Nathan Ackerman contributed to this report.