Phillies reportedly decline option on David Robertson

Right-handed reliever David Robertson’s time with the Philadelphia Phillies might be over after two seasons.

The team declined its option on Robertson for next season, according to a report by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The Phillies will buy him out for $2 million, and he will become a free agent. The 35-year-old would have received $12 million if the option was picked up.

Robertson signed with the Phillies prior to the 2019 season on a two-year, $23 million deal, but his tenure with the team was derailed by injury.

He pitched in just seven games in his first season in Philadelphia due to an injury in his throwing elbow. Robertson underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2019, and missed all of this past season while recovering.

His absence was felt in 2020, as the team’s bullpen struggled all season while key relievers in Robertson and Seranthony Domínguez missed the entirety of the year.

Overall, Robertson allowed four earned runs in 6 2/3 innings in a Phillies uniform.

Before signing with the Phillies, Robertson had pitched 11 seasons for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He made an All-Star team in 2011, and won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009. Robertson has a career 2.90 ERA in 663 2/3 innings.

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