Veteran star took his time returning to the majors, largely by choice, but he’s back now. After sitting out nearly the first four months of the season while waiting for a free-agent deal to his liking, the 40-year-old right-hander has rejoined the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen following a call-up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies confirmed the move ahead of series finale against the Texas Rangers, as expected. To make room on the 26-man roster, right-hander was optioned back to Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies brought back top star for a third stint, signing him to a prorated \$16 million deal. He spent the following weeks ramping up in the minors, essentially going through an accelerated spring training. While he was first eligible for recall on Aug. 5, he wasn’t quite ready and needed more time to get up to game speed.
With Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Robertson logged 5 1/3 innings over six outings, giving up six runs — all in two separate three-run appearances. After those rough patches, he delivered a pair of clean, back-to-back outings this week. The final test came in his most recent appearance, when he faced just one batter — striking out Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones — while topping out at 92.2 mph with his cutter and 92.6 mph with his sinker.
Robertson posted a 3.00 ERA over 72 innings in the Rangers’ bullpen last season. His most recent stint with the Phillies before this came in 2022, when they acquired him at the trade deadline and he played a key role in their run to the World Series, recording a 2.70 ERA in 23 1/3 regular-season innings and a 1.17 ERA in 7 2/3 postseason innings. His first tenure in Philadelphia was in 2019, though it was cut short after just 6 2/3 innings when he underwent Tommy John surgery.
Phillies hope David Robertson can help bring more playoff success
Robertson brings a wealth of postseason experience to the Phillies’ bullpen, having pitched in nine different playoff runs since helping the Yankees defeat Philadelphia in the 2009 World Series. Over his career, he owns a 3.04 ERA across 47 1/3 postseason innings.
The Phillies are counting on him to contribute to another playoff push this year. Team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski emphasized that when Robertson was signed, telling MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, “We know \[Robertson] can handle pennant races; we know he can handle postseason play. We’re excited to get him.”
Meanwhile, Alan Rangel, 27, heads back to Triple-A after his third stint with the big-league club this season. In his latest call-up, he made three relief appearances, giving up one run and striking out three over three innings. For the year, he has a 2.45 ERA in 11 MLB innings, while posting a 4.75 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings as a starter for Lehigh Valley.