The Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals had their game on Tuesday night rained out, which means there will be lots of baseball at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. With the teams scheduled for a split day/night doubleheader, the Phillies added an extra player to the active roster ahead of the 1:05 p.m. ET start time for Game 1.
Per MLB's rules allowing a 27th player to be added for the day, the Phillies announced that right-hander Daniel Robert has been added to the active roster from Triple-A. The Phillies recently acquired Robert, who will wear No. 48 in the bullpen on Wednesday, from the Texas Rangers for right-hander Enrique Segura.
Phillies add Daniel Robert for doubleheader over more familiar names
Robert got the call for today's doubleheader over more familiar relief names on the 40-man roster, like Max Lazar, Devin Sweet and starter-turned-reliever Seth Johnson. Lazar made his MLB debut with the Phillies last season, while Sweet appeared in Grapefruit League action with the Phillies this spring.
Robert, 30, has some intriguing strikeout stuff. A 21st-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2017, he posted 243 strikeouts in 184 innings in the minors before his MLB debut last year. He appeared in four major league games. He gave up two runs in his debut, before holding opponents scoreless in his next three outings, logging six strikeouts in 5 2/3 MLB innings.
Robert has only appeared in three games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, but has impressed in the small sample size. He hasn't allowed a run, while surrendering only two hits, no walks and has three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. He has also picked up a save.
If Robert pitches on Wednesday, he has a chance to make a good first impression on the front office and coaching staff of the big club. With two minor league options on his contract, he's a viable candidate for another call-up this season when the bullpen inevitably needs reinforcements during the dog days of summer.
Left-hander Jesus Luzardo is scheduled to start the afternoon game, facing Cardinals right-hander Erick Fedde, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Right-hander Aaron Nola is lined up against veteran righty Sonny Gray in Game 2, which will get underway at 6:15 p.m. ET.