The San Francisco Giants just took another brutal hit to their pitching staff, with Blade Tidwell now looking like he is headed for Tommy John surgery. Tidwell left Monday’s game against the Twins in the fourth inning after feeling discomfort in his right elbow, and an MRI on Tuesday confirmed a “high grade” UCL sprain. This is not just bad news for one guy, folks, it marks the fourth promising young Giants starter who has faced Tommy John surgery since March, and you just have to wonder what is going on out there.
Another Arm Down, Another Heartbreak
It is absolutely wild to think about: since March, the Giants have now lost Hayden Birdsong, Trevor McDonald, and Carson Whisenhunt to Tommy John surgery, all young arms. Tidwell, who is also 25 years old like the others, knows surgery is a strong possibility after his meeting with team orthopedist Dr. Kenneth Akizuki. “It’s pretty concerning,” Tidwell admitted. “It’s not something that I want, but it happens to most pitchers in today’s game, so I know I can get through it.” He added, “It’s wild all four of us, especially younger guys, doing it in the same year. It’s just unfortunate.” We all know Tommy John is common, hitting as many as 40% of professional pitchers, but four young starters from one team in one year? That is unprecedented. Theories float around about velocity emphasis and year-round play, but manager Tony Vitello even pointed out that these particular pitchers are not known for high velocity.
Mounting Injuries and Unanswered Questions
This brutal wave of injuries has president of baseball operations Buster Posey saying the team needs to “look at it.” While he trusts their medical staff completely, even he hopes “some of this, is just a little bit of ‘it all happens at once.’” Right now, the Giants have an absolutely staggering 24 players on the injured list, with 16 of those on the 60-day IL. They have used a franchise-record 70 players this season, which is the second-most ever behind the Braves’ 71 last year. Just insane. With Tidwell likely heading to the IL, right-hander Braxton Roxby got the call-up from Triple-A Sacramento, where he had a clean 1.23 ERA with seven strikeouts and zero walks in four appearances after getting sent down earlier this month.
What a nightmare for the Giants as they finish out their season. They have already shut down their number two starter, Landen Roupp, and top starter Logan Webb is also on the sidelines. It is a tough pill to swallow for any team to see so many young pitchers go down.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply