The Giants’ pitching depth has been battered enough that there isn’t much room for caution anymore, and Landen Roupp is right in the middle of it.
Hayden Birdsong, Trevor McDonald and Carson Whisenhunt have all needed elbow procedures this year, leaving San Francisco in a spot where it can’t really afford to back off Roupp now. He has already logged 134 and 2/3 innings this season, topping his previous high of 109 and 2/3 innings from last year.
That earlier workload was interrupted by elbow inflammation and later a knee sprain, so there’s at least a case that his arm got a partial break. Even so, the Giants are still operating in dangerous territory.
The simple reality is that they don’t have many alternatives. Right now, Logan Webb, Roupp and Blade Tidwell are the only starters on hand. It’s a situation that echoes last season, when Webb, Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander were the only established names and the last two rotation spots were a major puzzle.
That leaves San Francisco trying to patch together the rest of this year while also trying to protect a pitcher who looks likely to matter again next season.
Roupp’s numbers make the long-term conversation tricky. In an ideal setup, he would enter next year fighting for the No. 5 job after posting a 4.34 ERA in 25 starts. He has shown flashes, but the inconsistency has been obvious, and the walks have been a problem.
Even so, there’s a real chance he opens next season as the team’s No. 3 starter unless the front office makes meaningful changes and adds a true No. 2 and No. 3 behind Webb. Trading for Emerson Hancock and signing Kevin Gausman would give the rotation a lift, but it also wouldn’t be shocking if the Giants simply signed Taijuan Walker and David Peterson and wrapped up the offseason there.
That’s why Roupp’s health matters so much. If he were to go down like Whisenhunt and McDonald, the rotation picture would get messy in a hurry. The Giants would need at least three starters, and there’s a strong chance that at least two of them would be more about eating innings than being premium arms.
For now, though, the Giants are boxed in. Roupp has already gone past any reasonable innings target, and they have no real choice but to keep pushing him just to survive the rest of the season.
In Other News...
Giants Injury Crisis Could Force A Veteran Move Fans Didn't Expect
The Giants have spent much of the 2026 season piecing together a roster that has been battered on both sides of the ball, with injuries hitting position players and pitchers alike. In response, the front office has already cycled through plenty of roster moves just to keep the club afloat, and now the search for help appears to be widening beyond the usual internal fixes.
Among the veteran names being discussed are Eugenio Surez, Michael Lorenzen, Zack Littell and Austin Slater, a group that would give San Francisco more depth and flexibility as the injury problems continue. It is the kind of backup plan teams rarely want to lean on for long, but for a Giants club trying to stabilize the daily lineup and the pitching staff at the same time, the need for reinforcements is becoming impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Infield Shuffle Could Mean More Than A Buddy Kennedy Exit
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The wrinkle for San Francisco is what comes next, because Kennedy has already used up his option years and now has to go through waivers. If another club claims him, the Giants lose a depth piece they clearly had room for only in the short term; if he gets through, his past outright assignments give him the ability to choose free agency, leaving his future tied to a process the Giants cannot fully control. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Already Have One Painful Question About That Red Sox Trade
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Millers underlying numbers have only sharpened the point, with a strong FIP and a strikeout rate that suggest the Red Sox may have found a real late-inning arm. Add in three more seasons of team control, and Bostons end of the deal suddenly looks even more valuable if Miller keeps pitching this way. For the Giants, the question now is whether Mayer can get on the field soon enough to keep this from becoming the kind of trade that looks harder to defend with every passing week. [Read more 🡒]