Rosenthal ponders shoulder surgery
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 mix-and-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.