How do Phillies cope with losing David Robertson for even longer?
David Robertson will not throw for another three weeks, shutting the reliever down for even longer. How will the Phillies cope without him?
David Robertson‘s Phillies tenure has been one to forget so far. He gave up four runs in his first three appearances, including a walk-off walk. Robertson started to get things back on track until hitting the injured list a month ago with right elbow soreness.
Robertson was supposed to play a significant role on this team as the main offseason addition to the bullpen. However, his poor performance and ensuing injury have limited his overall impact on the team.
Robertson and the team received even worse news Monday from Dr. James Andrew as reported by Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He instructed Robertson not to throw for another three weeks, likely keeping him out for another month. Breen said the team does not have an estimated time for Robertson’s return.
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With Robertson not expected back until mid-June or later, how will Philadelphia cope with Robertson out for at least a month, if not longer?
At this point, the bullpen has been carried by two pitchers: Adam Morgan and Hector Neris. Morgan has the lowest ERA and WHIP of any pitcher on the team at 1.26 and 0.698, respectively. He did not give up a run until his 17th appearance of the year. In 14.1 innings, he has 13 strikeouts and three walks.
Neris has been the team’s closer and looks to be entirely removed from his early 2018 struggles. In 16 games, he has five saves and two holds. His 23 strikeouts are the most among relievers on the team, and his 36.5% strikeout rate is 18th-best among 182 qualified relievers this year.
Beyond those two, Juan Nicasio and Jose Alvarez have posted better numbers after atrocious starts to the season. In the last 30 days, they have a 1.64 and 1.80 ERA, respectively. Nicasio is still having issues with walking batters, but it hasn’t negatively impacted his ERA in the last month.
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Seranthony Dominguez is also producing better results after some rough outings to start the year. His 4.50 ERA is inflated by two appearances where he gave up four earned runs in 1.1 innings combined. Since those appearances, Dominguez has a 2.63 ERA and 6.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio, far more reflective of the Dominguez we’re accustomed to.
Pat Neshek started the year strong but has since regressed with a 5.00 ERA and 4.22 fielding-independent pitching in the last month. He has just one walk in 14.2 innings pitched but only has struck out seven batters.
The obvious elephant in the room is Craig Kimbrel, who remains a free agent.
At this point, neither he nor Dallas Keuchel will sign before the draft, which is only a week or two before when Robertson could come back. It’s unlikely Robertson’s injury suddenly motivates the team to sign Kimbrel, especially since his contract demands still haven’t wavered.
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Philadelphia probably has enough to last without Robertson for another month; they’ve already gotten this far. If his prognosis still isn’t good by June, then the team could consider adding Kimbrel or someone else via trade.