Veteran reliever making strong case to win spot on SF Giants Opening Day roster following lengthy absence

When you listen to the way SF Giants manager Bob Melvin talks about veteran reliever Lou Trivino, you knew it would not take much for him to make the Opening Day roster. It helps that the Trivino has also made a strong case to make the roster as well.

Veteran reliever making strong case to win spot on SF Giants Opening Day roster following lengthy absence

Despite not appearing in a major league game since 2022, Trivino had quite a bit of interest in free agency. The Giants were among seven teams to scout one of his bullpen sessions in late January. This eventually led to him joining San Francisco on a minors pact.

The appreciation Melvin has for Trivino is a two-way street. The five-year veteran has conveyed that he chose to join the Giants due in part to his connection with the longtime manager. Trivino spent most of his career in the Athletics organization, originally selected in the 11th round of the 2013 draft.

When the right-handed hurler debuted for the Athletics in 2018, Melvin was his manager. Melvin managed Trivino for the first four seasons of his career. Melvin joined the San Diego Padres prior to the 2022 season, whereas Trivino was shipped to the New York Yankees that year in a six-player deal.

When healthy, Trivino was a leverage arm in the Athletics' bullpen. He even served as the team's closer for a period of time, converting 22 saves in 26 opportunites in 2021. Overall, he has registered a 3.86 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.34 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, and a 2.30 SO/W rate across five major league seasons.

Unfortunately, Trivino has dealt with some injury setbacks in recent years. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and was slow to return to the mound in the following year after experiencing elbow inflammation. The veteran hurler is nearly two years removed from major surgery, and that is usually a pretty important period in the recovery timeline. While pitchers can return to the mound 12 months after surgery, it is usually not until that two-year mark that they regain their pre-surgery form.

The Giants hope that Trivino can be the pitcher he was earlier in his career. He is off to a promising start, as he has completed 7.1 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts this spring. Trivino has an opt-out to consider right before the start of the year.

Given how he has performed, there is a good chance he would have plenty of interested suitors if he re-entered free agency. The Giants can sidestep that decision by adding him to the active roster. That would seemingly please Melvin and give the Giants more veteran depth in the bullpen.