Phillies Pitcher Daniel Robert Suffers Second Cardiac Event During Training Session
The Phillies received a frightening reminder Sunday that some things are bigger than baseball when right-hander Daniel Robert collapsed on the mound during a spring training bullpen session at BayCare Ballpark.
Robert, who posted a 4.15 ERA across 15 appearances for the Phillies last season before landing on the injured list, went down during his first time back on the mound since October.
The collapse was caused by a cardiac event, with his implantable cardioverter defibrillator — placed near his chest over the winter — triggering as he was coming off the mound on Sunday, March 22.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was feet away when it happened.
“I was standing right behind him,” Thomson said, per MLB.com. “It was scary because he went down, he started to get back up again and he went back down.”
He ultimately entered an ambulance under his own power and was taken to the hospital. He has since been released from the hospital and is feeling OK.
An ICD is “a small battery-powered device placed in the chest,” according to the Mayo Clinic. It detects and stops irregular heartbeats by delivering electric shocks when needed.
This Isn’t the First Cardiac Event for Daniel Robert
For fans who followed Robert’s journey this offseason, Sunday’s episode is a gut-wrenching echo of what happened months ago. Robert suffered a previous cardiac event in October during a bullpen session at Carpenter Complex.
He recalled feeling “super light-headed” as he began to throw before collapsing, per NBC Sports.
That October incident was more severe in its immediate response. Medical staff administered CPR before an external defibrillator was used to shock his heart.
When asked if his heart stopped, Robert said “it was at a lethally low level and a very irregular rhythm.”
Testing later revealed that it wasn’t a heart attack. It was described as “an unknown cardiovascular event,” per NBC Sports. The ICD implanted over the winter was the medical safeguard designed to prevent the worst-case scenario — and on Sunday, the device did exactly what it was built to do.
Robert’s Road Back to the Phillies
Robert became a free agent this offseason but chose to return to Philadelphia, signing a minor-league contract with the team in February.
His reasoning was rooted in loyalty to the organization that stood behind him during the scariest stretch of his life.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to play this season, but if I was able to, I wanted it to be here because of the way the Phillies supported me,” he said after signing with the Phillies last month. “All the tests show I’m healthy. The Phillies helped me get to see some of the best doctors in the country.”
Robert also credited his wife, Jillian, an ICU nurse, for being a steady presence through the medical uncertainty.
“She’s an ICU nurse so she’s kind of been my translator with all the doctors,” Robert said in February. “She was so good keeping family and friends informed. She thought it was honestly a miracle that I was perfectly fine 20 minutes later. It was completely a freak thing. But it was really scary.”
Robert’s 15 appearances last season made him a depth piece in the Phillies’ relief corps. On a minor-league deal, he was working his way back toward a potential roster spot this spring.
Sunday’s cardiac event — the second in roughly five months — now casts serious uncertainty over whether and when Robert could return to competitive pitching.
There is no timeline yet for Robert’s return. For now, the most important update is that the right-hander is out of the hospital and feeling OK. Everything else is secondary.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
