For Kyle Whitten, the wait is over.
After missing the 2025 baseball season following Tommy John surgery, the Osbourn Park graduate will report to spring training in February healthy and ready to contribute once again to the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization.
Whitten had surgery in September 2024 and began rehabbing last March at the Rays’ complex in Port Charlotte, Florida.
Throughout the entire process, Whitten felt he was in good hands with the way the Rays took care of him. That, in turn, gave him confidence he was still part of the Rays’ future.
Whitten isn’t sure what level he will begin at this spring, but he looks forward to the chance to compete again.
“The entire process was awesome with how they’ve treated me,” Whitten said.
Through the Rays, Whitten had his surgery done by Dr. Keith Meister out of Arlington Texas.
“It’s a major surgery and I am definitely getting older,” Whitten said. “I’m blessed that God has allowed me to play this game for so long. It was nerve-wracking, but my faith in God always got me through it along with my support network.”
The 27-year-old right-hander began his pro baseball career in 2021 after Tampa signed him out of the University of Virginia as an undrafted rookie free agent. Whitten was a member of Virginia’s 2021 College World Series team.
For the 2021 season, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Whitten went 0-1 with a 3.16 ERA in 27 games. For his career, Whitten went 5-4 with a 4.70 ERA. He pitched in 79 games, including three starts, all during his freshman season. In 2019, he recorded a team-high nine saves.
In 2024, he competed for three teams in Tampa’s minor-league system, starting with High-A Bowling Green followed by Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham.
He was 5-1 overall that season with a 3.95 ERA in 41 innings. Whitten is 12-8 with a 3.95 ERA in his four years of pro baseball.