The Giants officially reinstated left-hander Kyle Harrison from the 15-day injured list this afternoon, as Harrison is set to make the start in today’s game with the Guardians. San Francisco also called up southpaw Kolton Ingram from Double-A, and right-hander Spencer Bivens and infielder David Villar were both optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding moves.
Regarded as one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, Harrison made his MLB debut last season and was slated to take a regular spot in the Giants’ rotation this season. A sprained right ankle sent him to the IL on June 13, but before Harrison became the latest Giants hurler sidelined by injury, the results in terms of bottom-line numbers were pretty solid. Harrison had a 3.96 ERA in 14 starts and 77 1/3 innings, as well as an above-average 6.7% walk rate. Since control was a big question mark for Harrison in Triple-A in 2023, that decent walk rate is a very nice sign of the 22-year-old development as a big league starter.
The rest of the secondary metrics weren’t as glowing for Harrison, as he is allowing a lot of hard contact and his 20.6% strikeout rate ranks only in the 38th percentile of all pitchers. Harrison is getting great results from the four-seamer he throws 62.5% of the time, but batters have been feasting on his secondary pitches, giving Harrison something of a predictable repertoire.
Plenty of adjustments are sure to come for a pitcher who is still so early in his pro career, as Harrison was a third-round pic in the 2020 draft. Perhaps most importantly for the 2024 version of the Giants, Harrison was both effective and durable prior to his ankle injury, and his return allows the Giants to fill one hole in what has been another makeshift rotation for the club. Logan Webb and reliever-turned-starter Jordan Hicks have been San Francisco’s other two stable starters, but the Giants have cycled multiple pitchers through the other two rotation spots with little success.
Blake Snell is expected to return from his latest IL stint this week, as the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner looks to finally get his Giants tenure on track after a horrific first three months. Robbie Ray (Tommy John surgery) and Alex Cobb (hip surgery) should both return from their lengthy rehabs in the second half to provide some further reinforcement, so if the 44-45 Giants can at least tread water in the playoff race, they could look to be buyers at the July 30 deadline.
Ingram’s recall gives San Francisco another fresh arm in the bullpen, and it also puts Ingram in line for the first MLB action of what has been a tumultuous five months for the 27-year-old left-hander. Since the start of February, Ingram has been a member of six different organizations due to recurring series of waiver claims, and just last week, the Cardinals’ decision to designate Ingram for assignment opened the door for the Giants to again pluck him off the waiver wire. Ingram made his Major League last season, tossing 5 1/3 innings over five appearances with the Angels.
I’m a little surprised the Giants have managed to be just one game below 0.500.
If Snell has a good 2nd half, like he usually does, and with the return of Ray, Cobb and Harrison, to go with Webb and Hicks, the Giants could have the deepest rotation in MLB. And be very dangerous.
add birdsong
I do think they will make a solid run for the wildcard spot in the second half. Pitching getting healthy, offense starting to gel, and the schedule looks to be easier. Winning series lately against good teams. Let’s Go !
“Ingram made his Major League last season”. Sheesh.
Debut is a tough spell, so maybe just leave it out and hope you don’t notice.
Don’t really understand why Villar was sent down. Do they really need to watch Slater hit .200 all season long?
Well, Villar is an infielder so not much to do with Slaters position, and has a career average of .199
Oh, and once Fitzgerald revealed he had a first baseman mitt too, Villar’s days were numbered.
Don’t worry, Slater won’t hit .200 all season long. That swing has .179 written all over it
Judging by Harrison’s performance today, he should have stayed out longer.
I can’t help but feel a mix of hope and concern with Kyle Harrison’s return. He’s shown promise, but the injuries and inconsistent metrics cast a shadow over our already shaky rotation. Here’s hoping Harrison can bounce back strong and provide the stability we desperately need.
Generally new pitchers will pitch well. Then the hitters start to figure them out, and it’s up to the pitcher to start to make the appropriate adjustments. That’s where Harrison is now, except he looks like he came out with the exact same gameplan he’s used all season: a ton of fastballs peppered in with a few bad offspeed pitches that get clobbered.
I forget, who is the Giants pitching coach now? You seem to never hear his name how we would hear “Righetti” at least a few times a game when they would discuss his work with whoever was on the hill