| John Rooney | |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros – No. 67 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:January 28, 1997 Melrose, New York, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 24, 2025, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics (through August 24,2025) | |
| Win–loss record | 0–0 |
| Earned run average | 6.75 |
| Strikeouts | 2 |
| Teams | |
| |
John Rooney (born January 28,1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025.
A native of Melrose,New York,Rooney attended Hoosic Valley High School [1] Hofstra University,where he and played college baseball for the Hofstra Pride. In 2017,he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [2]
The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Rooney in the third round,with the 104th overall selection,of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. [3] He split his first professional season between the rookie-level Arizona League Dodgers and Single-A Great Lakes Loons,recording a 1.80 ERA in eight starts. Rooney split the 2019 campaign between Great Lakes and the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes,accumulating a combined 10-4 record and 2.84 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 104+2⁄3 innings pitched across 20 starts. [4]
Rooney did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [5] He returned to action in 2021 with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, compiling an 0-2 record and 4.08 ERA with 42 strikeouts across eight appearances (five starts). [6] Rooney made 24 appearances (17 starts) for Tulsa in 2022, struggling to a 4-7 record and 6.15 ERA with 99 strikeouts over 98 innings of work. [7]
In 2023, Rooney spent time with Tulsa and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. In 53 appearances (one start) for the two affiliates, he posted a cumulative 6-3 record and 2.86 ERA with 69 strikeouts and three saves across 69+1⁄3 innings pitched. [8] Rooney made 53 appearances out of the bullpen for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club in 2024, registering a 5-2 record and 4.33 ERA with 71 strikeouts and one save across 60+1⁄3 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024. [9]
On November 13, 2024, Rooney signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins organization. [10] Rooney made 38 appearances for the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 2025, compiling a 2-1 record and 2.45 ERA with 45 strikeouts and four saves across 33 innings of work. [11]
On August 3, 2025, the Marlins traded Rooney to the Houston Astros in exchange for cash considerations; he was subsequently added to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. [12] On August 5, he was optioned to the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys without appearing for Houston, becoming a phantom ballplayer. [13] On August 24, the Astros promoted Rooney to the major leagues for a second time. [14] [15] He pitched 1+1⁄3 innings of relief but allowed a Luis Vázquez solo home run in his MLB debut in a 3–2 away loss to the Baltimore Orioles on August 24. [16] On August 26, Rooney was placed on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation. [17] He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on September 3, officially ending his season. [18]