The Giants are about to lose Carson Whisenhunt for a long stretch, and the timetable is the ugly part. The left-hander is set to undergo Tommy John surgery on Sept. 16, according to the club’s latest medical report, after a second opinion pointed him toward the more invasive option for the ligament damage in his left elbow.
That decision closes the door on any realistic hope of seeing Whisenhunt back late in 2027. An internal brace procedure in late August would have left a slim path to a return for the final weeks of that season, but a mid-September Tommy John operation almost certainly pushes his comeback into 2028. Recovery from the surgery is typically around 14 months now, while the brace procedure generally carries a shorter rehab.
Whisenhunt entered pro ball with real pedigree. The Giants took him 66th overall in the 2022 draft, and he spent years sitting near the top of the organization’s prospect lists, even appearing on top-100 rankings at MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus.
The major-league results have been rougher. Since 2025, he has posted a 5.90 ERA across 13 starts and 58 innings in the big leagues.
This season, though, there were flashes. He threw well in Triple-A and looked solid in his first two major-league starts before the bottom fell out over his next 24 innings, during which he was tagged for 21 runs.
Over that stretch, he had a 16.9% strikeout rate and a 12.7% walk rate. His last outing ended after 2 2/3 shutout innings, when elbow discomfort forced him out of the game.
Because the injury happened in the majors, Whisenhunt will collect major-league service time and salary while he rehabs. He’ll finish this season a little less than a month short of a full year of service.
By the time he’s back in 2028, he’ll be sitting on nearly two full years. If he sticks in the majors once he returns, he’d be in line for Super Two status and the first of four arbitration trips after the 2028 season, though that is far from guaranteed.
The bigger picture for San Francisco is just as clear: the rotation needs help, and now it needs even more. Logan Webb and Landen Roupp are locked into spots, but the rest of the staff is unsettled.
Adrian Houser is owed $11MM next year yet has not been able to secure a rotation job this season, and he was recently shut down with a forearm strain. Trevor McDonald had Tommy John surgery last month, and Hayden Birdsong underwent the same procedure in March.
The Giants are also trying to sort through younger arms down the stretch. Blade Tidwell, Matt Wilkinson and Cesar Perdomo are getting chances, while former Rockies and Braves reliever Anthony Molina is being tested as a starter.
That makes this winter critical. The Giants already entered the 2025-26 offseason needing rotation upgrades, then chose to bring back Houser and Tyler Mahle, with Mahle later traded to Atlanta.
Robbie Ray is now in San Diego after a deadline deal, which only sharpens the need. San Francisco did add some pitching depth ahead of the deadline, acquiring Molina, Ramon Marquez in the Luis Arraez deal, Henry Lalane in the Heliot Ramos trade and Miguel Mendez in the Robbie Ray swap with the Phillies, Yankees and Friars.
Even so, if the Giants want any shot at getting back into the race next season, they still need to come away with at least two reliable starters.
In Other News...
Giants Fans Have One More Reason To Celebrate Mike Krukow
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The beer is tied to a good cause, too, with proceeds going to the Northern Nevada Childrens Cancer Foundation. Fieldworks co-founder also made a substantial donation to the foundation, and it was matched to double the impact, giving the tribute a charitable edge as Krukows farewell year begins to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Keep Sending A Frustrating Message With Homegrown Rookie Catcher
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Andrew Knizner has continued to get playing time even with a low batting average, while Morgan has yet to appear in a game. For a club trying to sort out its catching depth, the message has been hard to miss: the looks are not coming evenly, and the homegrown rookie is still waiting for his turn. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Are Finally Getting Clarity On Which Young Pieces Matter
Since the trade deadline, the Giants have been using the stretch run to sort out what their 2027 roster might actually look like, and a small group of young players has started to separate itself from the rest. Christian Koss, Dylan Smith, Turner Hill, Jonah Cox and Drew Gilbert have all flashed enough to make the club think twice about where they fit, with possible lanes ranging from utility work in the infield to bullpen innings and platoon help in the outfield.
None of that means the picture is settled, of course, but it does give San Francisco something it has needed: a little clarity on which younger pieces are worth carrying forward. The next few weeks will still matter for each of them, and the Giants decisions could shift as they keep evaluating, but the organization is no longer guessing quite as much about who belongs in the long-term conversation. [Read more 🡒]