Veteran Pitcher Attempting MLB Comeback After Not Pitching For 6 Years
The 36-year-old left-hander hasn’t appeared in a competitive game since 2019, but he’s set to throw for scouts this week as he looks to get back into pro ball. Collins has been posting training clips on social media, yet this time it’s more than offseason noise.
He’s reportedly scheduled to showcase at the Cressey Sports Performance pro day in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, giving teams a real look at whether his arm still plays after six years away from game action.
Why Tim Collins Believes He Can Pitch Again
Collins’ career path has never been normal, and that’s part of what makes this attempt believable.
He’s a 5-foot-7 reliever who carved out nearly a decade in the majors anyway, posting a 3.60 ERA across 275 appearances from 2011–19 while striking out 245 hitters in 242.1 innings. Most of that work came with the Kansas City Royals, where he was part of those deep, nasty bullpens that helped drive their mid-2010s runs, including the 2014 trip to the World Series.
Free agent LHP Tim Collins is pursuing a comeback. Collins, 36, last pitched in spring training 2020 - and was a MiLB pitching coach for the Phillies in 2024. He'll throw for scouts this Wednesday at the Cressey Sports Performance pro day in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) January 12, 2026
Even in his last MLB action with the Chicago Cubs in 2019, he was still serviceable in a small sample, logging a 3.12 ERA over nine appearances.
The Long Layoff and What Comes Next
The gap is the big question. Collins signed a minor-league deal with the Colorado Rockies in 2020, but he opted out of the COVID-shortened season and never returned to pitching in 2021.
Instead, he shifted into coaching and recently worked in the Philadelphia Phillies’ system as a minor-league pitching coach, which at least suggests he never fully left the craft behind.
Tim Collins, Mechanics/Lower Half (97mph FB/rear view/slow) [5'7" 168lbs] pic.twitter.com/vMDkInhakE
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 15, 2018
He also knows what it’s like to fight back from time away. After Tommy John surgery in 2015 and a revision that kept him out until late 2017, he still made it back to the majors and logged time with the Washington Nationals before that 2019 stint in Chicago.
Now he’s chasing another return, and if the stuff shows up at the workout, it only takes one team to offer a minor-league chance for this to get real fast.
Photo Credit: Jon Durr-Imagn Images
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