Rooney elected minor league free agency after being outrighted by the Astros at the beginning of the offseason. The 28-year-old had a brief stint with Houston, who acquired him from the Marlins in a small trade in August. The Astros called him up for his big league debut three weeks later. Rooney struck out two of six batters faced while giving up a solo home run to Luis Vázquez in his only appearance.
I told Jerry, 'If you'll have me back, I'll come,' Rooney said this week. 'I'll take off and come. That would mean a lot.' And sure enough, I got the invitation, and I'm so honored by that.