The Philadelphia Phillies’ hopes for the postseason came to an end in the worst way possible. One bobbled ball and one bad throw ended their chances of making it to the World Series in the 11th inning. Now that they’ve been knocked out of the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the organization has a big question to answer: How do they help 24-year-old Orion Kerkering get over the moment that will haunt him?

This week, Phillies President Dave Dombrowski spoke directly about the situation, confirming the team’s commitment to their young reliever. “Phillies President Dave Dombrowski says they have a support system for Orion Kerkering,” John Clark reported. “Dave says the Phillies are offering him whatever assistance he needs. They will work with Orion to get through what happened, but Dave says he knows it will be a challenge for him. They have kept up speaking to him over the last week, offering support.” 

The collapse on October 9 played out in painful detail. Kerkering messed up a simple play on the mound and then threw the ball too far, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 win. He bent over and put his hands on his knees before putting his face in his hands as teammates led him to the dugout. “Just a horses–t throw,” Kerkering told reporters later. He was clearly upset, even though he was honest.

Kerkering’s future after this pressure meltdown is more important than just one bad throw. The Phillies were one step away from the National League Championship Series and had a real chance to win the World Series. This means that his mistake didn’t just end the game; it ended the hopes of an entire organization to win the title. That context makes the difference between everyday mistakes and life-changing events.

Since his first game in September 2023, Kerkering has had a 2.79 ERA, which shows that he can do well under normal circumstances. His teammates quickly rallied around him. Nick Castellanos ran from the outfield to hug him, and others reminded him that they had also failed to score runs.

The Philadelphia Phillies are helping Kerkering get better emotionally, but the front office also has to deal with the practical issues of building a roster. The same postseason that hurt their young reliever also brought up bigger problems in the organization that need to be dealt with right away.

Phillies face tough roster decisions ahead

The Phillies are now focusing on getting ready for another championship run while Kerkering works on his own recovery. Dave Dombrowski and manager Rob Thomson met with reporters on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park. They made it clear that the entire coaching staff will be back for 2026, and they plan to add an experienced bench coach who has managed in the major leagues.

The front office has to deal with the fact that a lot of important players are becoming free agents. Kyle Schwarber is at the top of their list of priorities, and they also really want to keep J.T. Realmuto. Ranger Suárez and Harrison Bader are also available on the open market, which makes things more complicated. It looks like Jose Alvarado’s contract option will be used, but the organization is still not sure what Nick Castellanos’s future role will be.

The team is sure that Bryce Harper will play like an MVP again next season. They’ve also put money into helping Kerkering through his playoff problems, which shows that their investment goes beyond just numbers. During spring training, young players like Justin Crawford, Gabriel Rincones Jr., and Aidan Miller will fight for spots on the team.

All roster changes stop until the World Series is over. After that, free agents have five days to negotiate only with their current teams before the market opens to all teams. This is when Philadelphia’s offseason plan starts to take shape.