Phillies PBO Gets Honest About Orion Kerkering Demotion Decision During Mets Series

The Philadelphia Phillies optioned struggling reliever Orion Kerkering to Triple-A Lehigh Valley before their series finale against the New York Mets, with Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski explaining the decision on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Dombrowski said Kerkering had been “struggling for a while,” including a sharp drop after Aug. 17: in nine appearances, Kerkering allowed runs in eight, totaling 15 runs in 9.1 innings with 10 strikeouts and eight walks. At the time of the demotion, he was at a 4.97 ERA and 4.17 FIP. Max Lazar was recalled to take his roster spot, as the Phillies also dealt with Jonathan Bowlan’s groin injury.