Tyler Zombro

Zombro was not selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[5] Two weeks later, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an undrafted free agent.[7] 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.[8][9] In 2018, Zombro pitched for the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Single-A Midwest League,[10] and he had an 8–2 record and a 2.84 ERA, paired with 54 strikeouts against eight walks in 76 innings pitched.[11] The Rays had Zombro start the 2019 season with the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A Southern League, and was named the league's relief pitcher of the month in June.[12] He had a 2–0 record, a 1.87 ERA, and 11 saves, while striking out 53 and walking seven in 57+2⁄3 innings for Montgomery,[11] was promoted to the Durham Bulls of the Triple-A International League during the 2019 season. The Rays named Zombro their minor league relief pitcher of the year.[6] The Rays invited Zombro to spring training in 2020 as a non-roster player,[11] 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,[13] and he returned to Durham for the 2021 season.[5]

During Durham's game on June 3, 2021, at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Zombro was pitching against Brett Cumberland of the Norfolk Tides. He threw a 90.6-mile-per-hour (145.8 km/h) sinking fastball, which Cumberland hit. The line drive hit Zombro in the head, above his right ear, at 104 miles per hour (167 km/h). Zombro immediately lost consciousness and fell face-first on the pitcher's mound, as he was having a seizure.[5] Zombro was taken off the field on a stretcher and brought to Duke University Hospital for surgery to repair a skull fracture.[14] Surgeons inserted 16 titanium plates and 36 screws during a 2+1⁄2-hour operation to repair the temporal bone and reduce intracerebral hemorrhaging and intracranial pressure.[5][15] The game was suspended and later declared final.[16] 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.[5][14] He has no memory of the incident.[15]

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.[15] Zombro reported to minor league spring training in March 2022.[17] 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.[15] Zombro threw a batting practice to Rays hitters for the first time since the injury on March 10, pitched an inning in an intrasquad game on March 14, and appeared in a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox on March 22, retiring both batters he faced.[18] The Bulls added him to their active roster on April 21.[19] Zombro appeared in his first game since the injury on April 24, pitching a scoreless inning in relief for Durham against Norfolk.[20] In June, Zombro had surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, ending his 2022 season.[21] Zombro was released by the Rays organization on March 26, 2023.[22]

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.[23]