Once one of the best relievers in all of Major League Baseball, Trevor Rosenthal is hoping to prove to some MLB teams that he can still make a difference for their bullpens.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the 32-year-old Rosenthal is expected to throw in front of scouts from various teams on Tuesday in south Florida. The right-hander recently gave a tease of what he could bring on the mound during a pitching session he shared on Twitter.
We ready! pic.twitter.com/g4mL1aJufy
— Trevor Rosenthal (@TrevRosenthal) June 4, 2022
Heyman reported back in April that Rosenthal was “drawing a lot of interest” from teams, but it’s unclear exactly which teams those might be and how much that interest has changed since April.
Can Trevor Rosenthal still be an asset to an MLB bullpen?
Rosenthal posted 93 saves over a two-year period with the St. Louis Cardinals, culminating that run with an All-Star Game bid in 2015. However, Rosenthal underwent Tommy John surgery after making 50 appearances in 2017 and didn’t pitch for the Cardinals again.
Since making his return from Tommy John, Rosenthal has seen action for four teams, including a 2020 stint with the San Diego Padres where he threw 10.0 innings in nine games and only allowed three hits and no earned runs.
If he signs with an MLB team after his Tuesday showcase, it’s expected he would need some time in the minors to be ready to appear in an MLB game. However, if things went according to plan for Rosenthal and moved quickly enough, he could conceivably join an MLB team by the end of the month or certainly before the All-Star Game break (the Midsummer Classic is scheduled for July 19 with the Los Angeles Dodgers serving as the host).
There are plenty of “ifs” with Rosenthal. However, he has shown in the past he can be an impact reliever. Can he show it again in 2022?