Lou Trivino, out of MLB since 2022, earns final bullpen spot

SAN FRANCISCO — Three years since he last stepped on a big-league mound, Lou Trivino will be in the Giants’ bullpen on Opening Day.

Trivino and Spencer Bivens both overcame long odds to claim the final two spots in manager Bob Melvin’s relief corps. The eight-man bullpen group came into clearer view in the past 24 hours, as Melvin announced both pitchers had made the team while Sean Hjelle was optioned to Triple-A.

Trivino, a non-roster invitee, had to be added to the 40-man roster. David Villar, who was out of options, was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Melvin previously managed Trivino in Oakland, when he was one of the top relievers in the American League, and is well aware of his long road back from Tommy John surgery. But while he acknowledged it was “gratifying” to inform the 33-year-old that he made the roster because of those circumstances, “it’s about what makes our team better.

“Nothing was given to him,” Melvin said of Trivino, who struck out 10 and didn’t surrender a run in nine 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 appear in 69 games with a 2.91 ERA as a rookie for Melvin’s Athletics and remained in Oakland up until the trade deadline in 2022, when he was sent to the Yankees along with Frankie Montas. He appeared in 25 games with a 1.66 ERA for the Yankees but was diagnosed with an elbow strain the following spring and hasn’t made it back to the majors since.

“You kind of always know it’s going to happen, but when it actually happens, it’s pretty special,” Trivino said of his long road back. “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 last spring, Bivens may have felt even further from stepping on a big league mound. Now 31 years old, Bivens’ journey through the independent leagues has been well documented but makes his ascension over the past year no less impressive. Like Trivino this year, Bivens wasn’t on the 40-man roster last spring and was simply appreciated having a locker in a major-league clubhouse for the first time, Melvin said.

After making his major-league debut last July, Bivens impressed enough — posting a 3.14 ERA in 27 games between the bullpen and starting rotation — that it was only a mild surprise when Melvin named him to the roster following Monday night’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 said. “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 will be a fair amount of familiar faces from a bullpen that was asked to take down the most innings in the National League a year ago, albeit with a 3.96 ERA that ranked 15th in MLB.

Bivens and Trivino will both be asked to get left-handed hitters out with Erik Miller serving as the only lefty in the group. Ryan Walker will reprise his role as closer. Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval and Randy Rodríguez return as high-leverage options. Hayden Birdsong, who missed out on the final rotation spot, rounds out the bullpen.

“We’ve got a lot of really, really good arms,” Melvin said. “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