Tyler Zombro

Tyler Zombro (born September 2, 1994) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played college baseball for George Mason University before signing with the Tampa Bay Rays as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Zombro survived a seizure and fractured skull sustained when he was hit in the head by a line drive during a game in 2021. Zombro retired during the 2024 season.

Amateur career Zombro attended Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, Virginia, graduating in 2013. He played for the school's baseball team and had a .505 batting average. He attended George Mason University and played college baseball for the George Mason Patriots as a pitcher. As a freshman, he was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference's all-rookie team. Zombro started 14 games in his junior year at George Mason. In his senior year, Zombro had a 6–2 record with a 2.78 ERA in 15 starts and five saves. He made one appearance for the Gulf Coast Rays of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and spent the rest of the season with the Princeton Rays of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, making 13 appearances for Princeton. In 2018, Zombro pitched for the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Single-A Midwest League, and he had an 8–2 record and a 2.84 ERA, paired with 54 strikeouts against eight walks in 76 innings pitched. He had a 2–0 record, a 1.87 ERA, and 11 saves, while striking out 53 and walking seven in innings for Montgomery, The Rays invited Zombro to spring training in 2020 as a non-roster player, but the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Zombro received a non-roster invitation to spring training with the Rays in 2021, and he returned to Durham for the 2021 season. Zombro was taken off the field on a stretcher and brought to Duke University Hospital for surgery to repair a skull fracture. Zombro spent four days in the intensive care unit and another two days being monitored before he was discharged from the hospital on June 9. He has no memory of the incident.

After his discharge from the hospital, Zombro underwent physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. A CT scan performed in December 2021 showed that the fracture had completely healed, clearing Zombro to return to baseball. He is wearing protective head gear made from kevlar under his baseball cap, with a small piece that sticks out to cover his zygomatic bone. The Bulls added him to their active roster on April 21. Zombro appeared in his first game since the injury on April 24, pitching a scoreless inning in relief for Durham against Norfolk. In June, Zombro had surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, ending his 2022 season. Zombro was released by the Rays organization on March 26, 2023.

Texas Rangers On May 19, 2023, Zombro signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization, and was assigned to the Triple-A Round Rock Express. He made two scoreless appearances for the Triple–A Round Rock Express and became a free agent following the season on November 6.

On November 22, 2023, Zombro re-signed with the Rangers on a new minor league contract. He did not appear in a game during the 2024 season, as he was dealing with "consistent nerve issues," and he announced his retirement over social media on August 23, 2024.

Coaching career On November 18, 2024, the Chicago Cubs hired Zombro to serve as a special assistant within their organization. The Cubs promoted him to vice president of pitching on December 13, 2025.

Personal life Zombro's wife, Moriah, is a registered nurse. She graduated from Lee High School and James Madison University (JMU), and has worked in travel nursing. Zombro's parents both graduated from Bridgewater College, where his father played baseball and his mother played basketball and volleyball. His grandfather, Melvin "Wimpy" Zombro, played in American Legion Baseball's adult division and continued playing baseball into his 80s.

Zombro got into baseball analytics while he was in college. He started working as a trainer with R&D Baseball Academy in the Washington metropolitan area while he was in college, and converted it into a full-time job while playing professional baseball. Zombro has worked with pitchers from JMU and the University of Virginia, as well as professional players, including Matt Bowman and Sam McWilliams, a teammate with Montgomery. Zombro also works with Tread Athletics, a training facility based in Charlotte, North Carolina.