Whit Merrifield, the Phillies' utility man, will start in place of Alec Bohm on Monday night.
The Phillies are ready to unleash reliever Orion Kerkering, who made his season debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.appeared in seven of the Phillies’ 13 playoff games last October because he has some of the nastiest stuff in the bullpen. But it also helped that he was a mystery.After shooting through four levels of the farm system, making his major-league debut near the tail end of the season, and then pitching on the postseason stage, Kerkering is a known commodity now.
But he also struggled to command his fastball, walking Ke’Bryan Hayes on four pitches before recording two outs with the slider again. The Phillies are ready to unleash Kerkering, too. He will move into the late-inning mix, giving them another right-handed option alongside Jeff Hoffman andFrom the 2023 playoffs: When do the Phillies unleash reliever Orion Kerkering? Francisco Rodríguez could be a blueprint.
For much of his career, Merrifield has been an everyday player. That isn’t the role with the Phillies, who didn’t guarantee at-bats to the 35-year-old when they signed him for $8 million in February. Barring injuries, Merrifield is likeliest to fill in at multiple positions.
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