Small (oblique) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Friday, MLB.com reports. Small had been vying for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day bullpen during spring training before sustaining a Grade 2 right oblique strain late in camp that resulted in him opening the season on the injured list. He was shut down for about two months before he was finally cleared to start playing catch, and he's been gradually increasing the volume and intensity of his throwing sessions. Now that he's resumed facing hitters, Small could be on the cusp of heading out on what will likely be an extended minor-league rehab assignment. The 27-year-old lefty still has a minor-league option remaining, so the Giants could send him to Triple-A Sacramento upon activating him from the 60-day IL if there isn't a spot for him in the big-league bullpen.
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Small (oblique) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Friday, MLB.com reports. Small had been vying for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day bullpen during spring training before sustaining a Grade 2 right oblique strain late in camp that resulted in him opening the season on the injured list. He was shut down for about two months before he was finally cleared to start playing catch, and he's been gradually increasing the volume and intensity of his throwing sessions. Now that he's resumed facing hitters, Small could be on the cusp of heading out on what will likely be an extended minor-league rehab assignment. The 27-year-old lefty still has a minor-league option remaining, so the Giants could send him to Triple-A Sacramento upon activating him from the 60-day IL if there isn't a spot for him in the big-league bullpen.
Beck (arm) threw a 40-pitch bullpen session at Oracle Park on Sunday, MLB.com reports. Assuming Beck checked out fine following the extended side session, the Giants could clear him to resume facing hitters when the club reconvenes following the All-Star break. Beck has been on the shelf all season after he was diagnosed with an aneurysm in his upper right arm in spring training that necessitated surgery March 4. Though he was cleared for full baseball activities May 1, Beck has been building up slowly and is still likely multiple weeks away from returning from the 60-day injured list. With both Robbie Ray (elbow) and Alex Cobb (hip/shoulder) further along in their throwing programs and poised to beat him back from the IL to bolster the Giants' rotation depth, Beck will likely be ticketed for the bullpen once he's eventually activated.
Cobb (hip/shoulder) is scheduled to make the fourth start of his rehab assignment Monday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, MLB.com reports. Cobb had made each of his first three rehab starts with Single-A San Jose, but with all levels of minor-league baseball in the midst of their All-Star break except for rookie ball, he'll head to Arizona to continue his progression. In his latest rehab outing with San Jose this past Wednesday, Cobb built up to 55 pitches and four innings while striking out four batters and giving up three runs on five hits and one walk. Including his upcoming outing Monday, Cobb will likely need to make at least two more rehab starts before the Giants would consider bringing him back from the 60-day injured list. Cobb has been on the shelf all season while recovering from offseason hip surgery but was expected to return at some point in the first half before a bout with shoulder irritation in mid-April resulted in a shutdown period that pushed back his timeline for activation.
Ray (elbow) struck out nine batters and gave up one hit and one walk over five scoreless innings in his rehab start Sunday with Single-A San Jose. Making his ninth and perhaps final minor-league rehab appearance as he works his way back from May 2023 Tommy John surgery, Ray submitted his lengthiest and best outing yet. He built up to 74 pitches (56 strikes) in the rehab start and now owns a 4.13 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 38:4 K:BB in 24 innings over stops with San Jose, Triple-A Sacramento and the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. With Ray looking fully recovered from elbow surgery from both a workload and performance standpoint, he appears poised to return from the 60-day injured list to make his Giants debut coming out of the All-Star break. If the Giants opt to keep a five-man rotation intact rather than expanding to six, rookie Hayden Birdsong would seem to be most at risk of losing his starting spot once Ray is activated.
Yastrzemski went 3-for-3 with a triple, two doubles and a walk in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Twins. Yastrzemski's triple was the decisive play, as it turned into a Little League home run when he scored on a throwing error by Brooks Lee. Neither power nor speed have been notable for Yastrzemski this year, though this was his third multi-hit effort in his last four games. The outfielder is slashing .241/.316/.436 with eight home runs, 31 RBI, 29 runs scored, nine doubles, five triples and one stolen base across 78 contests.
Walker (6-3) retired both batters he faced and earned the win Sunday over the Twins. Walker was called on for damage control after Camilo Doval blew a save chance. Walker got Willi Castro to ground out and Brooks Lee to fly out, keeping the game tied at 2-2 before Mike Yastrzemski tripled and scored on an error to win it for the Giants. Aside from a three-run stumble versus the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Walker continues to be quite steady in a high-leverage role. He's at a 2.32 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 62:10 K:BB through 50.1 innings while adding 17 holds and two blown saves this season. While reliever wins can be tricky to project, Walker's steady ratios, high strikeout rate and setup duties make him a reliable option for fantasy managers.
Doval allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning, taking a blown save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Twins. Doval's poor performance didn't stop the Giants from winning, but it made things a bit hairy in the ninth inning. The closer had gone five scoreless innings since his last blown save June 28, though he continues to put too many batters on base. For the season, Doval has a 4.38 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 49:24 K:BB over 37 innings while going 17-for-21 in save chances. If manager Bob Melvin changes his approach to the closer job, Doval could lose some of his save share to Ryan Walker or Tyler Rogers.
Rogers (1-3) allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in one-third of an inning, taking the loss Saturday versus the Twins. Rogers served up a go-ahead solo home run to Carlos Santana in the sixth inning, and the Giants couldn't bounce back from it. This was Rogers' first loss in two months, and prior to Saturday he had given up just two runs (one earned) over his prior 22 innings. He's now at a 2.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB through 37.2 innings while adding four holds in a middle-relief role this year.
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