With just eight days until pitchers and catchers report for spring training, the Philadelphia Phillies continue adding depth. After bringing in veteran utilityman Dylan Moore on a minor league deal over the weekend, the front office reportedly signed right-hander Daniel Robert on Tuesday, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Robert's deal is a minor league contract that includes an invitation to major league spring training, per Heyman. It's the 31-year-old's second go-round with the Phillies after they acquired him from the Texas Rangers last May.
Phillies re-sign Daniel Robert who could fill a similar role to last season
Robert spent the 2025 season bouncing between the Phillies and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. With one minor league option remaining heading into this season, you can envision a similar role in 2026 for the former 21st-round draft pick.
Robert made his Phillies debut as the 27th man during a doubleheader on May 14, striking out the lone batter he faced. During his time with the Phillies, Robert posted a 4.15 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 13 innings over 15 relief appearances. He appeared in 18 games for the IronPigs, running a 3.38 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 18 2/3 innings. The front office non-tendered Robert in November, sending him to free agency.
Robert's primary pitch is an 84 mph sweeper that generated a 34 percent whiff rate last season with a .197 xBA. He complements it with a 96 mph four-seamer and a 91 mph cutter while also mixing in a 95 mph sinker.
While Robert does come with some intriguing strikeout upside, being unable to consistently command his stuff has been his Achilles heel in his small sample size of MLB experience. He struck out 15 batters in his 13 big-league innings last season (25.4 percent strikeout rate) but issued far too many walks with 10 (16.9 percent walk rate).
But the Phillies obviously see something in Robert to bring him back again. In 30 1/3 combined Triple-A innings between the Rangers and Phillies organizations in 2025, he ran a 27.3 percent strikeout rate while walking just 6.8 percent of the batters he faced.
Now on his way to Phillies spring training, Robert joins an already deep pool of relievers vying not only for an Opening Day bullpen job, but for playing time throughout the 2026 season. His competition includes right-handers Jonathan Bowlan, who came over in the Matt Strahm trade, Zach McCambley, the Phillies' Rule 5 pick, and Zach Pop, who's out of options.
The Phillies also have lefty Kyle Backhus and righty Chase Shugart, both of whom arrived via trade this winter, as well as Seth Johnson, Max Lazar, and Nolan Hoffman already on the 40-man roster.
There's also a deep roster of other non-roster invitees who will be looking to make their mark this spring alongside Robert. Right-handers Michael Mercado, Trevor Richards, Jonathan Hernández, and Andrew Bechtold and lefties Tim Mayza, Génesis Cabrera, and Andrew Walling will all be in camp pitching for a job.