ARLINGTON, Texas — On Monday afternoon, Tony Vitello had a fascinating comp for Blade Tidwell, who played for him at Tennessee and returned to the Giants after the 2026 MLB trade deadline decimated the roster.
“Blade is a little bit of a Skittle,” Vitello said. “He’s rough on the exterior but a little softer than people realize on the inside. He’s got a big heart, and I think he’s got strong relationships with everybody that’s been involved with his career, and I think it helps that we know him because there’s more there … I think there’s more there, and I really do feel pressure on (our staff) to bring it out of him.”
So far, it looks like that might be a real possibility over the final two months of the 2026 MLB season.
Tidwell could have helped solve the bullpen’s woes in the first half, but the Giants knew they would need rotation coverage at some point, so they sent him back down to Triple-A after eight April relief appearances with the goal of getting stretched out. With Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle now elsewhere, and Trevor McDonald set to have Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, Tidwell is poised to be in the rotation throughout the second half.
The first game back was solid — two earned over five innings in a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers — and showed Tidwell’s growth since he returned to starting.
The right-hander mostly leaned on an upper 90s four-seamer and wipeout sweeper as a reliever. On Tuesday, he threw six pitches, including a new changeup that he forced himself to throw 25 times in some minor league starts, even if they were bad. The sweeper was particularly effective, and while the velocity was down, Tidwell doesn’t think that will be a consistent theme.
Tidwell said his time in Sacramento was spent “commanding the arsenal that I’ve always had since being with the Giants.”
“There’s the five pitches that I’ve been rolling with, and I put in the curveball but I don’t really use that much,” he said Tuesday. “It’s just refining that and knowing how to backdoor it and how to put guys away with it. I’m still learning, still adjusting.”
Tidwell’s 100th pitch — a career-high at any professional level — was 95.6 mph, but overall he averaged 94.7, a drop of nearly two ticks from his relieving days. He said he often was 96-98 in Sacramento, though, topping out at 99 mph before he returned.
If Tidwell can hold his velocity as a big league starter, it’ll make this path a lot easier. Regardless, he has more in the tank than most who have tried to fill the rotation for the Giants in recent years.
Tidwell’s first inning back in the big leagues ended with two runs on the scoreboard and 32 pitches on his arm. But he retired 14 of the final 17 Rangers he faced.
“I thought he settled in and he pitched really well,” Vitello said. “It is two different mentalities … he’s been a little bit of both reliever (and starter). The true bulldog comes out of him when he’s got three outs to go get as opposed to a runway of maybe 100 pitches. To me, it was a good mix as the game went on. He looked like he was attacking and he had his intensity, but he was also pitching really well.”
Vitello wasn’t in the mood to think big-picture after Tidwell’s start. The Giants lost on a fly ball to right with two outs in the ninth that turned Jung Hoo Lee around, and Vitello said the defeat left a “sour” taste in his mouth. There will be plenty of time later to evaluate, but the early returns were positive.
Tidwell and Carson Whisenhunt, Wednesday’s starter, will get the first cracks at filling the rotation the rest of the way. If either shows enough talent and consistency, it would be huge for the front office, which learned last winter how difficult it can be to fill even two rotation holes.
Currently, the Giants appear to have three openings heading into 2027. Tidwell hopes to lower that number.
“I’m excited for the opportunity,” he said. “I’m embracing it.”