Phillies add David Robertson to the NLCS roster
Robertson missed the divisional round with a strained right calf. He replaces Nick Nelson.
SAN DIEGO — Veteran reliever David Robertson will be in the Phillies’ bullpen for the National League Championship Series.
Robertson, who missed the divisional round with a strained right calf, was included on the 26-player NLCS roster, the team announced Tuesday morning. He will replace fellow reliever Nick Nelson. The rest of the roster is unchanged from the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
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”It’s kind of miraculous how quick he’s come off his injury and how much better he is,” manager Rob Thomson said of Robertson. “I wouldn’t have expected he’s at where he’s at.”
Robertson was injured while jumping up and down in celebration of Bryce Harper’s home run in Game 2 of the wild-card series in St. Louis, a circumstance that he said was “embarrassing.” He received a platelet-rich plasma injection Oct. 10 in Philadelphia and didn’t throw from a mound until Monday’s workout in San Diego. Robertson also tested his calf by going through fielding drills before being cleared by the Phillies’ training staff.
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Thomson said Monday that the Phillies needed to be sure that Robertson could pitch from the outset of the NLCS. According to the manager, they wouldn’t have put him on the roster if he wasn’t going to be available until later in the series.
Since the Phillies reacquired Robertson on Aug. 2 in a deadline trade with the Chicago Cubs for pitching prospect Ben Brown, he has been a central figure in the Phillies’ late-inning bullpen mix along with Seranthony Domínguez, Jose Alvarado, and Zach Eflin. In 22 appearances for the Phillies, Robertson posted a 2.70 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 23⅓ innings.
Robertson also brings postseason experience. He won a World Series in 2009 and pitched in the playoffs in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2018 with the New York Yankees and last season with the Tampa Bay Rays.