SAN FRANCISCO — Three years since he final stepped on a big-league mound, Lou Trivino might be within the Giants’ bullpen on Opening Day.
Trivino and Spencer Bivens each overcame lengthy odds to assert the ultimate two spots in supervisor Bob Melvin’s reduction corps. The eight-man bullpen group got here into clearer view prior to now 24 hours, as Melvin introduced each pitchers had made the staff whereas Sean Hjelle was optioned to Triple-A.
Trivino, a non-roster invitee, needed to be added to the 40-man roster. David Villar, who was out of choices, was designated for project in a corresponding transfer.
Melvin beforehand managed Trivino in Oakland, when he was one of many prime relievers within the American League, and is nicely conscious of his lengthy street again from Tommy John surgical procedure. However whereas he acknowledged it was “gratifying” to tell the 33-year-old that he made the roster due to these circumstances, “it’s about what makes our team better.
“Nothing was given to him,” Melvin mentioned of Trivino, who struck out 10 and didn’t give up a run in 9 Cactus League appearances. “He came in with an opportunity to make the team and he made it. … I think that’s what he feels best about, coming in here and pitching well and having basically a clean spring.”
Debuting in 2018, Trivino went on to look in 69 video games with a 2.91 ERA as a rookie for Melvin’s Athletics, earned the nearer’s function in 2021 and remained in Oakland up till the commerce deadline in 2022, when he was despatched to the Yankees together with Frankie Montas. He appeared in 25 video games with a 1.66 ERA for the Yankees however was recognized with an elbow pressure the next spring and hasn’t made it again to the majors since.
“You kind of always know it’s going to happen, but when it actually happens, it’s pretty special,” Trivino mentioned of his lengthy street again. “It’s been a long time. You take a lot of things in this game for granted, especially when you’re in the thick of it, but to reflect these past two years and really not be on a big league field again, it’s special and I’m very grateful.”
When he reported to camp final spring, Bivens might have felt even farther from stepping on a giant league mound. Now 31 years previous, Bivens’ journey by the unbiased leagues has been nicely documented however makes his ascension over the previous yr no much less spectacular. Like Trivino this yr, Bivens wasn’t on the 40-man roster final spring and was merely appreciated having a locker in a major-league clubhouse for the primary time, Melvin mentioned.
After making his major-league debut final July, Bivens impressed sufficient — posting a 3.14 ERA in 27 video games between the bullpen and beginning rotation — that it was solely a light shock when Melvin named him to the roster following Monday evening’s 6-4 exhibition win over the Tigers.
“The story is great, but the performance is what got him to the big leagues and kept him here — and the versatility is something that you don’t often get,” Melvin mentioned. “We saw him go five innings in a start last year, he came in with guys on base at times. He’s basically done everything for us.”
There might be a good quantity of acquainted faces from a bullpen that was requested to take down essentially the most innings within the Nationwide League a yr in the past, albeit with a 3.96 ERA that ranked fifteenth in MLB.
Bivens and Trivino will each be requested to get left-handed hitters out with Erik Miller serving as the one lefty within the group. Ryan Walker will reprise his function as nearer. Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval and Randy Rodríguez return as high-leverage choices. Hayden Birdsong, who missed out on the ultimate rotation spot, rounds out the bullpen.
“We’ve got a lot of really, really good arms,” Melvin mentioned. “A lot of talk has been about, you know, only one lefty. But we feel like we’ve got some righties who can get lefties out. We’ve got some power arms. And we’ve got some guys that kind of emerged last year, too. So in that respect, we feel good about where we are and we feel good about the depth of the bullpen, too, that we have in development right now.”
Villar DFA’d
It was simply two springs in the past that Villar seemed to be the Giants’ third baseman of the long run.
That trajectory, nevertheless, has not performed out, and the 28-year-old nook infielder discovered himself buried on the depth chart in San Francisco and out of choices to be despatched to the minor leagues. Casey Schmitt, Brett Properly, Osleivis Basabe and Christian Koss are more likely to be the Giants’ first choices in the case of infield depth.
Villar set the league on fireplace with eight house runs over the ultimate month of the 2022 season however hasn’t reached these heights since, slugging six complete homers whereas batting .170 with a .589 OPS over sparse alternatives the previous two seasons.
“I hope he gets a big-league job and I hope the change of scenery is good for him because there’s still a talent level there,” Melvin mentioned. “There’s a tremendous amount of power, he can play first and third. Sometimes you get bogged down in an organization and it doesn’t feel like there’s an avenue, so hopefully it’s better for him.”
Initially Revealed: March 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM PDT
