The SF Giants are headed into the offseason with a roster problem that will force their hand quickly.
Keaton Winn was moved to the 60-day injured list on Thursday after first landing on the 15-day injured list on August 20 with elbow neuritis. The Giants had not offered a timetable for his return, and his season is now done.
That kind of transaction matters because players on the 60-day injured list do not count against the 40-man roster. But that flexibility doesn’t carry over into the offseason, which means the Giants will soon have to make choices on 15 players currently in that category. The options are straightforward: activate them back onto the 40-man roster or place them on waivers.
The timing adds another layer. This all happens in the stretch after the World Series and before the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires, with a lockout looming. So the Giants may have to move fast before any shutdown freezes the process.
Free agency usually helps clubs manage this kind of squeeze, since the 60-day injured list disappears at the same time free agency opens. Teams can then use those open spots to bring players back.
But that route doesn’t give the Giants much relief this year. JT Brubaker is the only player currently set to become an unrestricted free agent.
There is one more wrinkle involving Rowan Wick, who signed a one-year deal with a team option for a second year while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. That arrangement was built more with 2027 in mind, but the Giants could decline the option and push him into free agency. Even then, they would still have at least 13 other decisions to make.
The good news, if there is any, is that the Giants do have some flexibility on the 40-man roster because of a number of soft spots. Still, if they need to open more than 10 spots, that becomes a much tougher task.
So even if the winter itself ends up being quiet, the start of it should not be.
In Other News...
Giants May Have Won This Padres Trade Sooner Than Anyone Expected
The Robbie Ray deal at the 2026 MLB trade deadline already looks like the kind of trade that can reshape a farm system. San Francisco sent the veteran pitcher to San Diego and got back prospects Miguel Mendez and Joniel Hernandez, two names that have quickly given the Giants something to watch beyond the big league standings. For a club always trying to balance present needs with future value, that return has added an interesting layer to a move that initially seemed more about deadline pragmatism than long-term upside.
Mendez and Hernandez have both shown enough in the minors to keep the conversation alive about what the Giants may have landed. The Padres were clearly pushing for help in their playoff chase, but the early returns in San Francisco suggest the real payoff from the trade could come later, and perhaps sooner than expected. For Giants fans, the intrigue now is not just what Ray means in San Diego, but how quickly these two prospects can turn a deadline swap into something much bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Sent Ryan Walker A Message About This Bullpen
The Giants made a notable bullpen shuffle by claiming right-hander Joel Kuhnel off waivers from the Brewers and placing him directly on the major league roster. To create room, they optioned Ryan Walker to Triple-A Sacramento and also shifted catcher Jesus Rodriguez to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Kuhnels arrival carries some urgency because he is out of minor-league options, so the Giants have to decide quickly what he can give them at the big-league level. For Walker, the move is a clear reminder that the bullpen picture is still fluid, and every relief job is being treated as one that has to be earned and re-earned. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Young Players Just Got A Much Tougher Message From Vitello
Tony Vitello did not spend much time softening the edges after the Giants loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his first year on the job, the new manager kept the focus on execution and the simple fact that chances in this stage of the season have to be earned, especially for the younger players getting looks while the club sorts out its future.
Vitello made clear there is a difference between giving prospects development time and handing out permanent roles. The message, as the Giants continue to weigh roster decisions, is that early opportunities are real but never fixed, and players who do not make the most of them can find someone else moving in behind them. [Read more 🡒]