Philadelphia Phillies' Young Closer Could Return This Weekend

After making a meteoric rise last season, the Philadelphia Phillies have sorely missed their star prospect and they might be getting him back soon.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering (right) reacts after closing out the Arizona Diamondbacks for a 10-0 win during Game 2 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Oct. 17, 2023. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY

The Philadelphia Phillies lost last year's closer, Craig Kimbrel, in the offseason when he signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

Despite there being some questions about this bullpen, the front office rarely indicated they were interested in making an addition. and ultimately never made a move despite high-profile players being available.

Much of that comes from their confidence in Orion Kerkering.

The 23-year-old had one of the fastest rises through the Phillies' pipeline in recent memory as he started his season in Single-A before making it all the way to the Majors. He appeared in three games to close the year and seven in the playoffs.

Listed as their No. 6 overall prospect, Philadelphia viewed him as an important piece of their bullpen unit heading into 2024 and fully expected him to be part of their Opening Day roster.

Billed as the closer of their future, Kerkering likely would have slid into that full-time role, replacing the departed Kimbrel.

Unfortunately, Spring Training didn't go as planned for the youngster as he got sick and became way behind schedule after he wasn't able to throw for the better part of March. He was then placed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain.

The Phillies had to start him out in the minors so he could build up his arm before returning to the Major League level.

During this time, it's been clear that Philadelphia has missed Kerkering.

The bullpen ranks 26th in the MLB with an ERA of 5.73. That includes two credited losses and three blown save opportunities over their 10 games played so far.

Kerkering will help that, and he might be returning soon.

According to insider Luke Arcaini, the rising star will pitch in rehab games on Tuesday and Thursday with the expectation he'll rejoin the Phillies this weekend barring any setbacks. He's already eligible to come off the 15-day injured list, but they want to make sure he's ready and will use these two outings to evaluate how he looks and feels.

Hopefully, with the return of Kerkering, this bullpen will become a much better group after starting the season off very poorly.