The Giants have suffered a tough run of injuries to their starting rotation of late, and with six starters on the injured list only Logan Webb and Jordan Hicks are currently in the San Francisco rotation as true full-time starters, although Spencer Howard and Hayden Birdsong have filled in to allow the Giants to cobble together a four-man rotation. Fortunately, it appears that could be changing in the near future as Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier today that southpaws Blake Snell and Kyle Harrison are both making progress towards returns from injuries.
Of the pair, Harrison appears to be closer to a return. The southpaw found himself shelved a little less than two weeks ago due to a right ankle sprain, although the issue proved minor enough that it appears he’ll be ready to return after something close to a minimum stay on the shelf. Per Rubin, the club’s current plan is for Harrison to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday before eyeing a start sometime during the club’s road trip against the Braves and Guardians that wraps up on July 8. That should leave the Giants to turn over the rotation just once more before Harrison rejoins the group.
After making seven starts with the club down the stretch last year, Harrison stepped into the club’s rotation on Opening Day this year alongside Webb, Hicks, Snell, and Keaton Winn. The 22-year-old has generally performed decently in what will be his first full big league season with a roughly league average 3.96 ERA and matching 3.95 FIP through 77 1/3 inning of work spread across 14 starts. While the lefty has only struck out 20.6% of batters faced this year, he’s limited walks to a strong 6.7% clip while generating grounders at a decent 42.1% rate. While the lefty’s pedigree certainly suggests that he could take a step forward at some point, even that stable back-end production would be a huge boost to a San Francisco rotation that has gotten the second-fewest innings out of its starting rotation in the majors this year.
Snell, meanwhile, appears likely to rejoin the Giants after Harrison but has a more concrete plan for his return in place. Per Rubin, the reigning NL Cy Young award winner is scheduled to make a final rehab start on Wednesday before rejoining the rotation on July 10 against the Blue Jays. After being limited to just six starts in the first half by multiple groin injuries while struggling to a 9.51 ERA and 4.63 FIP across those 23 2/3 innings of work where he was healthy enough to take the mound, both Snell and the Giants are surely hoping that the lefty can turn his season around when he returns to action.
While San Francisco was surely hoping for more when they inked Snell to a two-year, $62MM contract back in March, it’s not at all difficult to imagine the southpaw, who boasts a 2.72 ERA and 3.17 FIP with a 31.7% strikeout rate in 56 starts from 2022-23, turning things around in the second half and helping to anchor the top of the Giants rotation alongside Webb. Given his tough start to the season, it’s nearly impossible to imagine Snell opting out of the second year of his deal at this point barring a sensational second half on the level of the one he enjoyed last year, when he posted a 1.43 ERA and 3.12 FIP in his final 15 starts of the season.
Meanwhile, veteran right-hander Alex Cobb is also working his way back from injury after undergoing hip surgery last offseason that delayed his start to the 2024 campaign. He was expected to rejoin the Giants at some point in May, but ended up halting his throwing program due to discomfort in his shoulder in the middle of last month. The righty finally appears poised to get into game action, however, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle noted this afternoon that Cobb is set to make a rehab start with Single-A San Jose tomorrow.
That’s a key step for the 36-year-old as he looks to return to action for the Giants. The veteran righty has been a very valuable asset for the club in recent years when healthy enough to take the mound, pitching to a 3.80 ERA and a 3.41 FIP in 301 innings of work since the start of his Giants tenure back in 2022. He and veteran lefty Robbie Ray could both impact the club’s rotation at some point later this season, offering internal rotation depth as the season wears on and they get closer to returns from their respective injuries.
Beat LA
Snell came in, and started straight selling his paycheck
What does that mean??
It probably means that 13Morgs13 is on hallucinogenic drugs.
Gotta hang tight until the reinforcements come.
They’re wearing out the bullpen in the meantime
Any updates on Ray? Haven’t seen anything lately on how close he is or where he is in his rehab. Nothing specific here.
I saw in person Ray pitch last weekend in Sacramento, he looked great. He should be back right after all star break. He has only gone 3.5 innings so far, they want to get him up to 5.
@Manny thnx for the info. Are you going to see Snell on Wednesday? Also a good chance to grab a signature from a two time Cy Young award winner. Bring a ball or Rookie Card if you have one lol.
Yes, still in the hunt.
Tristan beck is another starter they planned to lean on, hopefully he can come back at some point
What about whisenhunt
He’s being built up as a reliever this year. The giants org said as much. Then planned to switch him back to a starter
His control is not great. He’s a 2 pitch pitcher I doubt he can make it in the MLB.
Wrong pickle. He’s developed another pitch
I just made the mistake of clicking on Snells BR page. WOW. Need some eye drops to view those numbers
Giants should trade Luciano, Whisenhunt, Matos for Skubal
Pickle
Giants would be sour on your “dill”.
Not that it is unfair, but they have six starters in Webb, Hicks, Harrison, Ray, Snell and Cobb, and Snell is not opting out based on his performance.
The outfield next year will be Ramos, Matos and Lee with Yaz the 4th. Wisely looks great, but Luciano is needed as well.
Again, not that your trade is unfair, but it doesn’t fit for g-men.
It may not fit their long term needs, but I think the Giants would do that trade in a heartbeat. They could easily flip a starter and throw some money at a stopgap outfielder a la Conforto, but someone of Skubal’s talent is much much harder to find.
I did a brain fart and thought they said Skenes lol. It’s bed time
Skubal is great and all, but that’s probably too steep price for 2.5 years
The tigers would do far better than that if they traded Skubal.
Yeah no way Cainer
I think Harrison will be a much improved pitcher in a few years. I can see him being a #2 behind Webb.
Imagine if some physical therapist that never pitched told Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, after they threw 150 pitches that they need to work the lactic acid and shouldn’t fully rest their arm the next 2 days.
Too many people screwing up arms that never threw before.
REST NEVER HURT AN ARM.
F’IN with IT after a 100 plus pitches the next day has.
Imagine if someone used two of the most exceptional pitchers ever – who also haven’t pitched in the majors for 30+ years – as examples of what pitchers today should do.
The game is very different now than it was then, with velocity and spin demands creating incredible stress on arms, often causing them to break.
Ryan and Seaver spun the ball better than anybody. Just because they don’t have a spin rate doesn’t mean today’s pitchers spin it more or better.
They had a huge advantage over today’s pitchers. They didn’t have a pitching coach that never played pro ball.
There is a huge problem called pitch design. No pitch has been designed, Anybody can trial and error a pitch, it’s been happening since the beginning of baseball.
If Seaver or Ryan threw a cutter or morphed cutter we wouldn’t know their names.
There’s no evidence to support the statement that “Ryan and Seaver spun the ball better than anybody..” And given the advances in pitching development in the time since they pitched, it’s extremely likely that is a correct statement.
I’m not sure how it’s “a huge advantage” to have a pitching coach that never played pro ball. And it’s not like 100% of today’s pitching coaches fit your description.
Who f’s around the day after throwing 100 pitches? Pitchers’ throw day typically is 2-3 days after a start, not the next day.
Also, I never said resting an arm isn’t a good idea…buddy.
You obviously never pitched a day in your life.
You’re an idiot.
You obviously know me so well from a few comments at a website.
Who’s the idiot?
Resting an arm after throwing 100 pitches isn’t going to ruin an arm buddy. F4cking around with it will.
Who is arguing that point with you Kia? Who the hell throws a pen the day after going for 100 pitches? Clean it up man, you are looking foolish
“Velocity Demands” ?
C’mon, pitchers been throwing heat since before you were born. Same with spinning up the ball. Pitching techniques is the one part of the game that has changed very little. The main change is that today’s pitchers throw less.
@oldg Have you heard of a sweeper?? It’s a slider with a ton more movement. Pitching techniques have changed quite a bit. While pitchers aimed for having heat, there has been an emphasis on how much movement off speed pitches have.
As for velocity which has always been a commodity sought in pitchers, teams oftened settled for placement pitchers. Those types of pitchers are few and far between in today’s game. So by all means pitching has changed.
Names and measuring technologies have changed. Actual pitches, not so much. Sweeper is just a slider thrown from a different angle.
See Satchel Paige.
More recently, but still retired Sergio Romo threw your “sweeper” for years but they were calling it a no dot slider at the time. Same pitch though…
Actuallyita a different pitch. Every type pitch is ultimately the same just thrown at different angles, grips, speeds, etc.
Again yes pitching as a whole is different. The basic principles are the same but what’s teams value and emphasis has changed quite a bit.
But to feed the nostalgic sense you are looking for the game is still played with a ball and pitchers throw it.
I agree that pitching as a whole is different. I was referring specifically to techniques, which haven’t changed much, just renamed and measured in all aspects.
I remember Snell when he couldn’t avg over over a K an IP?
What happened?
Snell has had only one season where he hasn’t averaged 1 K/IP, and his career is 11.1.
“Meanwhile” has to START the sentence. As a conjunctive adverb, it can’t come in the middle, between commas. How can you mess this up and then get it right later in the article? Deeds is brutal.