Phillies Trade for Daniel Robert to Boost Right-Handed Bullpen Depth

The Rangers designated Robert for assignment after posting a 1.54 ERA with two saves and 17 strikeouts in 11.2 innings (10 appearances) this season for Triple-A Round Rock.

The 30-year-old made four big league appearances for the Rangers in 2024 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched, pitching out of the Texas bullpen.

To land the veteran arm, the Phillies gave up the 20-year-old Segura, who is 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA (6 ER, 17.0 IP) and 19 strikeouts in four games (3 starts) for Low-A Clearwater this season.

If he performs well at Triple-A, there is a chance Robert could be called up by the Phillies to help their struggling bullpen.  The team already moved right-hander Seth Johnson from the starting rotation to the bullpen, in hopes he might be a candidate to help the big league bullpen.

Why the Phillies Made the Move

The Phillies' bullpen struggles have been well documented during the first month of the season, with Orion Kerkering, Jordan Romano, Joe Ross, Jose Ruiz, and Carlos Hernandez from the right side and lefties Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado, and Tanner Banks in their bullpen.

As Matt Gelb from The Athletic points out, entering Tuesday night's game with Washington, the Phillies had the 29th-ranked bullpen ERA in MLB.

The team is set to call up Ranger Suárez, who will join Philadelphia’s rotation this weekend to face Arizona, meaning someone will have to be moved to the bullpen, likely Taijuan Walker.

The lefty threw a bullpen on Wednesday afternoon, and everything went well, so he will be back and rejoin the rotation on Sunday.