The San Francisco Giants will have to play three games in two days, already exasperating a rotation problem. The club announced three transactions, including the promotion of right-hander Seth Lonsway.
Lonsway, 27, was a sixth-rounder out of Ohio State in the 2021 MLB Draft. The left-hander has a 5.95 ERA across 75.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. The Giants already had an open 40-man roster spot, which Lonsway will now fill.
The Giants have also designated Matt Wilkinson as their 27th player in the doubleheader against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Wilkinson will start the first game, and Lonsway will likely start the second.
To make room for Lonsway on the active roster, right-hander Spencer Bivens was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. Bivens grinded through two rough innings, needing 50 pitches. With him unavailable for the rest of the series, and needing to cover 18 innings in a day, the Giants sent him down for a fresh arm.
Giants Promote Seth Lonsway After Rotation Injuries
The Giants lost two of their starters in the previous series against the Cincinnati Reds. While San Francisco won two of three, it was a very costly three games.
Carson Whisenhunt and Adrian Houser went down with separate elbow injuries in that series. Whisenhunt is weighing surgery to repair a torn UCL, and Houser has a forearm strain.
With two spots in the rotation opened up by injuries, the Giants have an opportunity to evaluate their organizational depth. Seth Lonsway will be one of many youngsters to get a trial run in the rotation to close out the season.
The Giants and Diamondbacks agreed to a doubleheader instead of playing Sunday. San Francisco is in a grueling stretch and did so to give themselves an off day. Their originally scheduled off day for August 31 is being used to complete a postponed game against the Atlanta Braves.
The injuries to both Whisenhunt and Houser, which came on consecutive days, have exhausted their bullpen. So the manufactured off-day helps in that regard too.
After the off day on Sunday, the Giants can re-evaluate who they want in their rotation. There will be a roster move after the doubleheader; the question will be whether Matt Wilkinson gets sent down or someone else.
Another the club could turn to is Anthony Molina, who threw 4.1 scoreless innings in relief of an injured Houser. The right-hander has pitched mostly as a reliever, but came up as a starter in the minor leagues.
San Francisco Giants Promote 27-Year-Old Pitcher for MLB Debut During Diamondbacks Series