SCOTTSDALE — Tyler and Taylor Rogers will both be at Great American Ballpark on March 27 when the San Francisco Giants play the Cincinnati Reds on Opening Day.
They just won’t be on the same team.
“In the moment we were shocked, but looking back at it, it’s not overly shocking,” Tyler Rogers told this news organization. “We spent two years together in the bullpen which we’re obviously thankful for, but in Major League Baseball — and in bullpens in particular — you don’t get to spend two seasons with hardly anybody. So, just to say that we got two seasons together was great.”
On Jan. 29, two weeks before pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, the Giants traded Taylor Rogers and cash to the Reds in exchange for minor-league right-hander Braxton Roxby, who hasn’t pitched above Double-A. The twins first joined forces when Taylor signed a three-year, $33 million deal prior to the 2022 season, becoming the fourth set of twins to be teammates in league history. During their two seasons together, the Rogers twins appeared in the same game on 56 occasions.
“I wish I could put it into better words, but privilege is a good word to use,” Tyler Rogers said. “We enjoyed the heck out of it every single day. I definitely think we did our two years together right.”
In trading Taylor Rogers to Cincinnati, the Giants now only have one left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster. Last season, the Giants used only four left-handed relievers: Rogers (60 innings), Erik Miller (67 1/3 innings), Raymond Burgos (one inning) and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (one inning).
The list of San Francisco’s non-roster invitees contains seven left-handed relievers: Burgos, Miguel Del Pozo, Antonio Jimenez, Joey Lucchesi, Helcris Olivarez, Enny Romero and Ethan Small. Lefty Carson Whisenhunt is in camp as well, but manager Bob Melvin said the team views Whisenhunt as “a high-end starter.”
“We feel like we have some guys that get some lefties out,” Melvin said. “It’s always nice to have a second lefty. All these guys are non-roster guys, so they’re going to get their looks. Typically you want that second lefty to give you more than just an inning or a matchup as well. There’s some guys that we’re going to take a hard look at.”
One southpaw in camp who fits that multi-inning mold is Newark native Joey Lucchesi, who has made 77 major-league starts. Lucchesi has been a starter for most of his professional career, but last season, the left-hander made 10 relief appearances for the New York Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.16 ERA over 25 2/3 innings.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey said that the Giants don’t believe they necessarily need to add a second lefty to the bullpen, adding that the front office will “do our best to fill the bullpen with the guys that are going to be able to get the most outs.”
