Trevor McDonald: Everything you need to know

The Giants optioned McDonald to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. McDonald got off to a fast start this spring and looked to have a real chance at making the Giants' Opening Day bullpen as a long reliever. However, after finishing the Cactus League with a 6.94 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 11.2 frames, he'll head to Sacramento to get back on track. The 25-year-old righty has looked good during his limited MLB opportunities (1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP through 18 IP), so the Giants may still be willing to add him to their rotation if injuries begin to arise among their starters.

McDonald has allowed two hits and a walk while striking out seven across six scoreless innings in three Cactus League appearances, and he is making a strong case to open the 2026 campaign in the Giants' bullpen, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports. McDonald was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento in September of last season, recording a 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB across 15 innings in three big-league appearances, including two starts. The right-hander has impressed this spring, and while there isn't expected to be room for him in the starting rotation just yet, he has a good chance to open the season in the bullpen. If injuries arise among San Francisco's starters during the season, the 25-year-old would be a candidate to move into the rotation.

McDonald (1-0) allowed three runs on five hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Friday. McDonald gave up a three-run home run to Ezequiel Tovar in the fifth inning but was otherwise quite stingy in a dominant win. This was McDonald's third appearance in the majors this year, and he finished the campaign allowing six runs over 15 innings while adding a 14:2 K:BB. It was a strong showing in his late-season audition, which reflects better than his 5.37 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 144:62 K:BB over 142.1 innings at Triple-A Sacramento. McDonald has likely done enough to be in the conversation for a big-league rotation spot in the spring.