Like his teammates, Orion Kerkering took a break from baseball after the Phillies' season ended in October.

It lasted only a few days.

“I was like, I need to go do something,” Kerkering said Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

So, Kerkering got back in the gym. Kerkering -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Phillies' No. 7 prospect -- used a dominant slider-fastball combination to jump four levels from Single-A Clearwater to the Phillies in only a few months in 2023. He pitched in a postseason before he participated in his first big league Spring Training, which he'll enjoy next month.

Kerkering, 22, is not guaranteed a spot on the Phillies’ Opening Day roster, but it would be absolutely surprising if he did not earn one. There are five locks for the bullpen: left-handers José Alvarado, Gregory Soto and Matt Strahm; and right-handers Seranthony Domínguez and Jeff Hoffman.

Kerkering slides just below them.

That’s how much the Phillies like and need him in 2024.

“He’s way up on my list as far as his talent level and where he stands in that bullpen,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Kerkering enjoyed successes and failures in his few weeks in the bullpen last year. He pitched well in three regular-season appearances and his first four postseason appearances before struggling in the National League Championship Series.

Kerkering said he learned from it. He hopes it makes him better.

“I’ve thought about it a lot,” he said. “Just kind of going back and looking at old mistakes. I even go back and look at all my Minor League mistakes. It’s like, 'OK, I did it this way. I didn’t pitch that well.' Or, 'I left a pitch up.' I just look at it that way and try not to overthink it. In the moment, after the game, you go look, and your emotions are still there. But it’s always one pitch or a couple pitches that weren’t there. That’s all it was.”

Kerkering said he hopes more emphasis and work on his sinker will help him be more effective with his slider moving right to left and his sinker moving left to right.

“Just work east and west so guys' eyes … are looking out and in,” he said.

Twenty-six Hall of Fame position players have appeared in at least one game for the Phillies.

Who appeared in the fewest?

A) Johnny Evers
B) Ryne Sandberg
C) Lloyd Waner
D) Hack Wilson 

Thomson has been asked multiple times about the Phillies avoiding another slow start to the season, but the truth is, there is no magic fix.

It’s not like a dramatic speech on Opening Day will propel the players to a hot start. But then again, a speech probably isn’t needed. Thomson believes Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto struggled early in the season in part because they did not get enough at-bats in the World Baseball Classic. Then, Philadelphia started the season without Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins and Ranger Suárez.

Everybody is healthy entering camp. If it stays that way, the Phillies seem confident they will have a winning record as they enter June.

The Phillies on Thursday announced 15 non-roster invitees to Spring Training.

Expect more before pitchers and catchers have their first official workout on Feb. 14, as the organization looks for more pitching depth (and possibly another outfielder).

“There’s a whole bunch of players out there on the market,” Thomson said Wednesday. “A lot of things happen right before Spring Training, and that’s why our Spring Training invites are down, because we know that people are going to fall out of the sky and want to sign someplace.”

Here is a look at the list:

RHP: Mick Abel (Philadelphia's No. 2 prospect), Ryan Burr, Griff McGarry (No. 5), Tyler McKay, Tyler Phillips, José Ruiz and Nick Snyder

C: Aramis Garcia, Cody Roberts and William Simoneit

INF: Scott Kingery and Nick Podkul

OF: Carlos De La Cruz (No. 6), Matt Kroon and Cal Stevenson

Six of the 15 have played in the big leagues, with Kingery leading the way. He appeared in 325 games with the Phillies from 2018-22.

Then there is Ruiz, who made 212 appearances over seven seasons with the White Sox, Diamondbacks and Padres (2017-23); Garcia, who played 116 games over four seasons with the Giants, A’s and Reds ('18-22); Burr, who made 66 appearances over four seasons with the White Sox ('18-22); Stevenson, who played 29 games over the past two years with the A’s and Giants; and Snyder, who made six appearances with the Rangers from '21-22.

D) Wilson

Wilson appeared in seven games for the 1934 Phillies, fewer than Sandberg (13), Evers (56) and Waner (101). 

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