Rosenthal ponders having surgery, which would lead to a months-long absence

When the A’s actually get to a point where they need a closer out of the bullpen, they’ll be looking to someone other than Trevor Rosenthal for the foreseeable future.

Rosenthal, signed in the offseason to replace the departed Liam Hendriks, is deciding whether to have surgery after a meeting with Dr. Gregory Pearl in Dallas, according to A’s manager Bob Melvin.

“He’s contemplating right now, and we’ll have to wait and see,” Melvin said Wednesday before the A’s closed out a seven-game homestand.

Melvin confirmed Rosenthal was dealing with TOS, or Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which the Mayo Clinic

website describes as “a group of disorders that occur when blood vessels or nerves in the space between your collarbone and your first rib (thoracic outlet) are compressed. This can cause pain in your shoulders and neck and numbness in your fingers.”

Surgery would likely mean an absence of at least three or four months, if not the season. A rehabilitation option would shorten Rosenthal’s absence, but it’s clear he won’t be counted upon any time soon assuming the A’s get to a ninth inning and a save situation in the near future.

Ultimately, Melvin said, whether to have surgery will be Rosenthal’s decision.

Rosenthal, 31, appeared to regain his form in last year’s shortened season

with 11 saves for the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres and 38 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings.

The A’s signed Rosenthal to a one-year contract worth $11 million (paying him $3 million this year and deferring the rest) — making him the highest salaried player on the team.

With Rosenthal out, the A’s bullpen will be a mixand-match operation as the season takes shape. It provides an opportunity for other pitchers to step in, as Liam Hendricks did two seasons ago after Blake Treinen faltered following an All-Star season in 2018.

“We felt like we had eight and nine wrapped up with (Jake) Diekman and Trevor but that’s not the case now,” Melvin said. “It will continue to emerge as we go along. It depends on who’s pitching best and who’s available on a particular day. It’s still kind of evolving as what the roles will

be.”

J.B. Wendelken, a hard thrower in the Hendriks mode, addressed Rosenthal’s status in a video conference before Melvin delivered the injury news.

“It’s always sad to see one of your fellow men fall down, get beat up. It’s one of those things where injuries are almost inevitable in this sport, and it’s how we work around it and how we proceed with our business,” Wendelken said. “Praying for Trevor and everything goes well. It does hurt to have a peg taken out of you, but our bullpen is really good, and I think we’ll be just fine.”

OLSON OUT AGAIN >> First baseman Matt Olson was out of the lineup for the second straight game with a knee contusion, with Mitch Moreland starting at first base. Olson was injured chasing a pop foul and sliding into the wall against Houston.