Phillies reliever David Robertson feels ‘ready to go’ as he starts his third stint with the team
Robertson, 40, has not faced live MLB competition since last season. He recently completed a minor league assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley to build back up.
ARLINGTON, Texas — As the Phillies filtered in and out of the visitors’ clubhouse ahead of the series finale against the Texas Rangers, several of them stopped to greet a familiar face.
The Phillies activated David Robertson on Sunday to join their bullpen, optioning Alan Rangel to triple-A Lehigh Valley as a corresponding move. Robertson had traveled to Texas the day before, after completing a minor league assignment in triple A to build back up.
“I feel ready to go,” Robertson said. “Everything that I’ve thrown is back to where it should be. Now I’ve just got to step in here and do it in between the lines at this level.”
His six appearances for the IronPigs were his version of spring training, after he spent the first four months of the season without a contract. Robertson, 40, did not join a team in free agency this winter, but he signed a one-year, prorated $16 million deal with the Phillies worth over $5 million on July 20.
“It’s a little bit more difficult this time of year to treat it like spring training, because guys have so many at-bats under their belts,” Robertson said. “I was just trying to focus on throwing strikes, getting all my spinning stuff back, and being ready to compete at a high level.”
Like in normal spring training, results were of secondary importance to how Robertson felt. He allowed 11 hits and six earned runs in 5⅓ innings, and struck out six. He pitched on back-to-back days last week as the final step in his buildup.
Robertson is beginning his 17th major league season, albeit somewhat delayed, in the same ballpark he spent most of his 16th. He pitched for the Rangers in 2024, and posted a 3.00 ERA over 72 innings.
Before landing his current deal, Robertson spent most of his time with his family, playing tennis, and working on his farm.
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“As the months started to tick by and I couldn’t win in any of my tennis matches, I started to think, ‘Well, I better go try to do baseball again,’” Robertson joked. “I was getting that itch to win at something again.”
Robertson had two previous stints with the Phillies, first in 2019 and again in 2022, when he was a big piece in their postseason bullpen, making eight appearances. While he knows most of the team well, the group of relievers looks completely different from how it did three years ago.
José Alvarado, who is serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, is the only other remaining member from the 2022 World Series bullpen. As part of his suspension, Alvarado is ineligible to pitch in this year’s postseason.
The unit has undergone some major changes even just this year, with the acquisition of new closer Jhoan Duran from Minnesota. Before the trade deadline, the Phillies bullpen had an ERA of 4.48. Since Duran arrived, that figure has shrunk to 2.18, ranking fifth in baseball.
“Over a short period of time, I think we’ve added some real quality,” said manager Rob Thomson. “... [Robertson’s] a calming influence. He’s been through it before, World Series, playoff runs. He’s a good guy for the younger guys to kind of lean on and learn from.”
Thomson plans to ease Robertson into lower-leverage spots at first, if possible. But Robertson is just looking forward to joining the new group.
“From what I’ve seen, watching the games recently, it’s been electric,” Robertson said. “Those guys have been unbelievable. I’ll have to just find a spot where I fit in there and work my way up in the pen to figure out how I can help us win.
“I don’t really care when I pitch. I’ve always said that from before. Whatever it takes, whenever they want to put me in, I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
Extra bases
Otto Kemp was out of the lineup against Rangers lefty Patrick Corbin. Bryson Stott slotted in at second base as he has had past success against Corbin, entering Sunday 5-for-13 with 5 RBIs. ... Alec Bohm (fractured left rib) began a rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday. ... Taijuan Walker (4-5, 3.53 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday’s series opener against Cincinnati Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott (8-2,2.34 ERA).