The Giants got a mixed injury update on three pitchers and infielders, with one rehab assignment underway, one setback in the middle of a return, and one season now done.
Matt Gage is the closest to helping the big-league bullpen again. The left-hander has started a rehab assignment with the Sacramento River Cats after being out since the start of July with an elbow strain.
At one point, surgery seemed like a real possibility, but rest and recovery have put him on a different track. Because he was moved to the 60-day injured list at the start of August, this figures to be a longer rehab process, and he remains eligible to return in the first week of September.
Gage’s first outing back came Saturday night in a 15-11 loss to the Tacoma Rainiers, when he gave up one earned run in one inning. The velocity was down across the board, though that is not especially surprising for a pitcher in his situation.
His fastball averaged just over 90 MPH, below his season average of 92 MPH. Gage has a 5.60 ERA in 34 outings this season.
Marcelo Mayer, meanwhile, hit a bump in the road. The Giants had been hoping his return might be close, but according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, the 23-year-old infielder is dealing with a bone bruise. The current plan is rest, followed by another evaluation.
Mayer had not played for the River Cats since Tuesday, which might have looked like the end of his rehab assignment and the start of a trip to join the Giants on the East Coast. That turned out not to be the case.
In Sacramento, the left-handed hitter went 6-for-17 with a home run during his rehab stint. When the Giants acquired him, Buster Posey said he hoped the team would get an evaluation of Mayer before the end of the year.
Joel Peguero’s season is over. Pavlovic also reported that the hard-throwing reliever is still dealing with the hamstring injury that has bothered him since spring training, and the Giants have shut him down.
Peguero had recently started a rehab assignment with Sacramento, but he made just two appearances and did not record an out. It’s a frustrating turn for a bullpen that has needed help all year.
There was a path for him to build into a role next season, but that will have to wait until 2027. Peguero posted a 2.38 ERA in 11 appearances for San Francisco in 2026.
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