ATLANTA -- David Robertson leapt in the air Saturday as he celebrated Bryce Harper’s home run in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series in St. Louis.
It cost him a spot on the NL Division Series roster.
Robertson strained his right calf as he jumped in the Phillies’ bullpen. He recently received a PRP injection in Philadelphia. It is a blow to the Phils, who have leaned on Robertson as one of their top late-inning relievers since they acquired him before the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline. He was 1-3 with a 2.70 ERA in 22 appearances since the trade. He threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in Game 1 against St. Louis.
“He’s devastated,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He really wanted to pitch in the series. He knows how big a part he is to this club, and he's very disappointed. Trust me, he's going to work and do everything he can to get back as soon as he can.
“Whether he’s available for the next round, we don’t know.”
Right-hander Nick Nelson replaced Robertson on the roster. Outfielder Dalton Guthrie replaced infielder/outfielder Nick Maton on the roster.
So how will the Phillies handle the loss of Robertson?
“We've got [Connor] Brogdon and [Andrew] Bellatti, we've added Nick Nelson to the roster,” Thomson said. “We have Brad Hand back. He hasn't seen much action lately. But somebody of that group, somebody's going to step up or a couple of them for sure.”
Noah Syndergaard is a potential option to start Game 4. But Thomson did not rule out the possibility that he could be deployed as a reliever.
“I liked his stuff out of the ‘pen,” Thomson said. “It ticked up. I’ve said many times before – he’s going to throw strikes. The moment's not going to get the best of him. So I have confidence in doing something like that.”
Guthrie replaced Maton because Guthrie bats right-handed and the Braves have only two left-handers in the bullpen. He also has more experience in the outfield. It would not be a surprise to see him enter the game as a late-inning replacement in right field, if the Phillies have a lead.
Here is the 26-man roster:
Pitchers (13): Left-handers José Alvarado, Bailey Falter, Brad Hand and Ranger Suárez. Right-handers Andrew Bellatti, Connor Brogdon, Seranthony Domínguez, Zach Eflin, Kyle Gibson, Nick Nelson, Aaron Nola, Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler
Catchers (2): J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs
Infielders (5): Alec Bohm, Rhys Hoskins, Jean Segura, Edmundo Sosa and Bryson Stott
Outfielders (6): Nick Castellanos, Dalton Guthrie, Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Matt Vierling