On April 21, 2022, the Angels made the announcement that they have added left-hander Kenny Rosenberg to their major league roster.
In a related move, fellow southpaw Brian Moran has been designated for assignment.
For the 26-year-old Rosenberg, it is his first call-up to a major league team. He spent five seasons in the Tampa Bay farm system after being selected by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Cal State Northridge.
The 6’1″ pitcher worked his way up to Triple-A Durham last year, where he pitched 30 2/3 innings over 14 bullpen appearances.
Although Rosenberg had a 2.35 ERA and a fantastic strikeout percentage of 35% against the top hitters in the minors, the Rays decided not to give him a chance in the big league.
Additionally, Tampa Bay declined to shield Rosenberg from the minor league round of the Rule 5 draft last winter. He was chosen by the Angels with the eighth choice in that process, and this spring, he made enough of an impression on the front office to put himself on the list for an immediate call-up to the big leagues.
In his lone outing at Triple-A Salt Lake this year, he pitched four innings of one-run ball while striking out five and walking two. In 2019, Rosenberg pitched as a starter all the way to Double-A.
Although he spent the majority of the previous season in the bullpen, he started the aforementioned one game for the Bees so far in 2022.
He’ll probably fill manager Joe Maddon’s multi-inning relief role, teaming up with Aaron Loup, an offseason signing, as the left-handed alternatives in the middle innings.