On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, news broke that the San Francisco Giants had sent down starting pitcher Hayden Birdsong to AAA Sacramento.
They also sent down RHP Tristan Beck and recalled RHP Sean Hjelle and RHP Carson Seymour.
Birdsong’s demotion comes on the heels of the worst start of his MLB career on Monday July 21, 2025. Birdsong walked four batters and surrendered 5 earned runs without recording an out in the top of the first inning against the Atlanta Braves.
Still, Birdsong’s demotion came as a bit of a surprise given that he has appeared in 21 games and made 10 starts for the Giants this season. He had basically carved out a role as the No. 4 starter following the departure of Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison.
But with his departure, it’s clear that the Giants have had enough of the end of the rotation’s struggles and are moving in a different direction. The question is, which direction will that be?
Will the Giants Make a Trade?
The Giants have been tied to several pitchers on the trade market as the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline approaches.
Joe Ryan, Sandy Alcantara and Mitch Keller are some of the names that experts have suggested the Giants inquire about.
Justin Verlander is another starting pitcher who is on the hot seat for the Giants. If they are replacing Birdsong in the rotation, they should probably replace Verlander as well.
It’s possible that this roster shuffle is preparation for a big move. After all, the Giants could have moved Birdsong back to the bullpen where he excelled early in the season instead of AAA. Beck also had back to back solid outings for the Giants, so the timing of his demotion is a little suspect.
It’s possible that there’s a deeper strategy here, and the Giants are beginning the process of clearing a roster spot for a veteran starter they are pursuing at the moment.
Internal Options to Replace Birdsong
The other thing that makes Birdsong’s demotion a little odd is that there is no clear candidate amongst the Giants callups to replace him in the rotation.
Carson Seymour has been a starter the past two seasons in AAA Sacramento. But, he has never made an MLB start. In his two appearances with the Giants earlier this year, they used him out of the bullpen.
Sean Hjelle is clearly not a starter. He has made 1 career MLB start in four seasons and that was earlier this season on an emergency basis. The Giants have never used him as a starting pitcher and they’re not recalling him to join the rotation.
Hjelle is also dealing with abuse allegations, which surfaced around when the Giants sent him down to AAA earlier this season. That also makes the decision to recall him interesting.
Joey Lucchesi has been a starting pitcher in the past, so maybe the Giants will give him a starting role. But that seems unlikely given their lack of left-handed bullpen arms after the injury to Erik Miller. Lucchesi is filling a vital role in the bullpen right now.
7 shutout innings. 🔥
The Giants could just go with a four man rotation and have a bullpen game every fifth day. But bullpen games are almost never a good strategy. They stretch the bullpen thin and put teams in a bad spot come playoff time. The Giants need a fifth starting pitcher, especially if one of the four they have left is Verlander.
President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey has to be trying to make a move. Unless a Giants pitcher is getting a shocking role reversal, this is a temporary setup to clear the way for a starting pitcher acquisition from elsewhere.
What do you think, Giants fans? Will the Giants make a big trade? Who’s going to start in Hayden Birdsong’s place next week?
San Francisco Giants Begin Pitching Rotation Overhaul With Shocking Move