SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ task to rebuild their bullpen in 2026 just got a whole lot tougher.
It appears that they will be without All-Star right-hander Randy Rodríguez, who is on the injured list with a sprained right elbow and has received two opinions to undergo Tommy John surgery. The procedure to reconstruct his ulnar collateral ligament would force him to miss most, and more likely all, of next season.
Giants orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki recommended the procedure; Texas Rangers orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister offered a concurring opinion. The Giants announced that Rodríguez will decide his course of action over the weekend.
It’s an unsurprising yet heartbreaking outcome for Rodríguez, 25, who established himself as a valuable part of the Giants’ bullpen last season and was so dominant in the first half that he became the first non-closing relief pitcher in franchise history to be named to the National League All-Star team. Rodríguez, pitching in a setup role, had a 0.86 ERA and 55 strikeouts against just eight walks in 41 2/3 innings through the mid-July break in the schedule. He’d been unscored upon in 39 of 41 appearances.
Rodríguez was such an obvious choice to receive recognition at the Midsummer Classic that he finished first on a player ballot loaded with perennial All-Star closers.
Rodríguez wasn’t nearly as effective after July 31, when the Giants elevated him to the closer role after trading Camilo Doval to the New York Yankees. He gave up runs in four of his last seven appearances, in which he took two losses and blew two saves; his final act was to enter a tie game in the ninth inning Aug. 22 at Milwaukee and serve up a walk-off home run to Brewers catcher William Contreras.
Rodríguez’s fastball velocity fell from 98-99 mph to the 95-96 mph range and he didn’t have the same bite on his sweeping slider, which had been nearly unhittable in the first half. He had allowed just one home run in his first 43 appearances before serving up two (to Ronny Mauricio and Juan Soto) while taking a home loss against the New York Mets on July 27.
Even after a rough August, Rodríguez has held left-handed hitters to a .128 average and his 33.8 percent strikeout rate is the third highest among NL pitchers (minimum 175 batters faced).
Giants manager Bob Melvin took great pains to avoid overusing Rodríguez, who dealt with elbow inflammation at the end of last season and appeared in just two games after Aug. 13. Even while becoming an indispensable pitcher in high-leverage situations this season, Rodríguez was used on back-to-back days only six times. He exceeded 30 pitches just twice in 50 appearances.
Right-hander Ryan Walker, who began this season in the closer role, will resume those duties for the foreseeable future. But with a farm system tilted toward position players, the Giants are likely to seek a bullpen boost in free agency this winter. It’s always possible that the Giants could re-sign right-hander Tyler Rogers, an impending free agent whom they traded to the Mets on July 30 for right-hander José Buttó and two prospects.
(Photo: Robert Edwards / Imagn Images)