SAN FRANCISCO -- When Taylor Rogers got promoted to the big leagues in 2016, the first call he made was to his twin brother. On Tuesday, Tyler got to return the favor.
"I was his first call," Tyler said. "I always told myself I would call him first."
The Giants promoted Tyler Rogers to the big leagues on Tuesday, giving the family relievers in two big league bullpens. Taylor, a lefty, is in his fourth big league season with the Twins and has 21 saves and a 2.47 ERA. Tyler, the submarining righty, has spent the last four seasons in Triple-A Sacramento, at times through little fault of his own.
Tyler had a 2.37 ERA in 2017 but did not get a September call from a 98-loss team. A year later he posted a 2.13 ERA and 1.07 WHP. The Giants resembled a Double-A team at times last September, but again they chose not to give Rogers a look.
It's never been fully clear why Rogers continually got lost in the shuffle. Before this year the Giants had plenty of bullpen issues, but they never felt the need to use the roster spot. Rogers doesn't throw hard, maxing out around 83 mph in his debut, and won't jump out at you other than his delivery. But the numbers were always there in a tough league.
Rogers, at times, asked some in the organization if he would be better off signing elsewhere as a minor league free agent. But he said Tuesday that he tried not to focus too much on the many missed opportunities.
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"I always just got lost in the daily routine of a baseball season," he said. "I tried not to think about anything over that."
The 28-year-old finally got his chance Tuesday and made the most of it, getting three grounders in a sharp inning that ended with a standing ovation. He relied almost entirely on a sinker that sits in the low 80s and comes from an arm slot you just don't see that often anymore.
"He's a different look and you try to get the matchups with right-handed hitters," manager Bruce Bochy said. "They had a couple of righties there but he did a good job on the lefty. He will give us a different look. I know he's resilient and can throw just about every day. He's going to be an asset."
Bochy lit up before the game when asked about finally getting Rogers in the clubhouse. Few, if any, moves in recent years have led to more cheers throughout the organization, from the front office, to the coaching staff, to the many teammates Rogers has had in Sacramento. Former Giants Ray Black and Derek Law were among those who showed their excitement on Instagram. Current River Cat Chris Shaw summed up the Triple-A reaction with a late-night tweet.
Guys get called up a lot throughout the year, and it's always a big moment in the clubhouse. With that being said though, I have NEVER seen a clubhouse happier than ours was today when we found out Rog was going up. #LongTimeComing #BeLikeRog #RogRakes https://t.co/SJVkARRV3D— Chris Shaw (@SHAWESOME24) August 28, 2019
"I'm excited for him. This is well deserved," Bochy said. "You look at what he's done and he just kept going out there and getting it done. Sometimes these guys can get overlooked because they don't throw 95, but he knows how to pitch."
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The promotion should give Rogers five weeks to prove he belongs at this level and can get hitters out with his funky delivery. It'll also lead to a busy stretch for his parents.
They raised just the 10th set of twins to each reach the Major Leagues, and the first since Damon and Ryan Minor nearly two decades ago. The Rogers were in town Tuesday to watch their right-handed son as their left-hander helped the Twins get closer to an American League Central title.
"They'll be watching a lot of baseball, needless to say," Tyler said, smiling.
