John Rooney (baseball)
John Rooney is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros.
Amateur career
A native of Melrose, New York, Rooney attended Hoosic Valley High School 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.Professional career
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Rooney in the third round, with the 104th overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. 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 innings pitched across 20 starts.Rooney did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. Rooney made 24 appearances for Tulsa in 2022, struggling to a 4-7 record and 6.15 ERA with 99 strikeouts over 98 innings of work.
In 2023, Rooney spent time with Tulsa and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. In 53 appearances for the two affiliates, he posted a cumulative 6-3 record and 2.86 ERA with 69 strikeouts and three saves across innings pitched. 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 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024.