Phillies expect Orion Kerkering to be ready to return when IL stint ends April 9

When the Phillies turned in their opening-day roster Thursday, they left off Orion Kerkering, an omission that was expected because the young reliever missed time in spring training while recovering from the flu.

But in accounting for his absence, the Phillies put Kerkering on the 15-day injured list with what they characterized as a right forearm strain.

“It’s due to fatigue,” manager Rob Thomson said on the eve of the Phillies’ delayed season opener against the Braves at 3:05 p.m. Friday at Citizens Bank Park. “He’s fine.”

Kerkering might even be in the bullpen by the season’s second week.

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Based on how he threw the ball in a minor-league spring-training game Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla., Kerkering’s arm is sound. He faced three batters and retired them on seven pitches, with his fastball reaching 98 mph, according to the reports received by Thomson.

But after getting knocked out for a week with a 103-degree fever, chills, and other symptoms of the flu, Kerkering ran out of time to build the proper arm strength to open the major-league season on time.

Instead, he’s scheduled to pitch Saturday and Tuesday on an assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s eligible to return from the injured list on April 9, and Thomson expects that he will be ready by then.

“Unless there’s a setback,” Thomson said, “sure.”

The Phillies intend for Kerkering to figure into their mix of late-inning relievers, so much so that they didn’t pursue a veteran reliever after free agents Jordan Hicks and Robert Stephenson took other offers from the Giants and Angels, respectively.

Thomson prefers to deploy the bullpen based on matchups rather than designating a closer. Although José Alvarado figures to get early chances to close, fellow lefty Gregory Soto and righties Seranthony Domínguez, Jeff Hoffman, and Kerkering will also factor into the ninth inning.

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Kerkering shot through the farm system last year, pitching at four levels before making his major-league debut in late September. He didn’t allow a run in his first four postseason appearances, then struggled against the Diamondbacks in the NL Championship Series.

The Phillies also put right-hander Taijuan Walker on the season-opening injured list, as expected. Walker was diagnosed last weekend with a right shoulder impingement, or a pinching pain in the joint.

Walker, entering the second season of a four-year, $72 million contract, played catch Thursday from 120 feet, according to Thomson, and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday. Walker missed time early in spring training with knee soreness.

It remains unclear how long Walker will be sidelined.

“A lot of times last year I wasn’t at 100 percent,” he said last weekend. “That was a grind. It was a struggle to pitch like that. So this year, I want to be able to pitch at my best more times than not. If I have to take a little time in the beginning, then I have to do that.”

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Walker’s spot in the starting rotation will be filled by righty Spencer Turnbull, who threw 52 pitches in three innings Saturday against the Yankees in Tampa. The Phillies intended to use a scheduled day off Friday to give Turnbull an extra day to be ready. But with the opening-day rainout, the plans had to be altered.

Turnbull will start Tuesday night against the Reds at Citizens Bank Park, followed by ace Zack Wheeler in the series finale Wednesday. Thomson said Turnbull, who threw in the bullpen Thursday with hitters standing in against him, should be able to throw 80 to 85 pitches in his first start.