José Buttó’s 2026 season with the Giants was over almost before it began. Three appearances.
Six days. Then a trip to the injured list he never came back from.
That makes his year a strange one to sort through, because the best version of Buttó showed up before the regular season even started. He turned in a strong spring, allowing one earned run over three Cactus League outings, then left Giants camp with Luis Arraez to join Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic. That trip turned into something much bigger than anyone could have predicted.
Buttó was not just along for the ride. He was one of the standouts in Venezuela’s run to its first World Baseball Classic title. Over five appearances and 5 2/3 innings, he didn’t allow a run, and his scoreless sixth inning in the championship game helped preserve a lead before Venezuela beat Team USA 3-2.
When he came back to the Giants, the expectation was straightforward: pick up where spring left off and help bridge the long regular season ahead. Instead, Buttó’s big-league stint evaporated almost instantly. He allowed one earned run in 2/3 of an inning on Opening Day against the Yankees, worked a scoreless inning in San Diego on March 31, and then was tagged for four runs in just 1/3 of an inning the next day.
That rough outing wasn’t just a bad day. Something was clearly wrong.
On April 2, Buttó had surgery to remove a blood clot, with an initial recovery timeline of two to four months. Two weeks later, the situation got worse: he needed another surgery to repair an axillary artery in his upper right arm, a rare procedure for a baseball player.
That second surgery pushed his recovery window to five or six months and effectively shut down his season. The Giants transferred him to the 60-day injured list on April 21, and he never pitched again.
Buttó was part of the return the Giants received from the Mets in the Tyler Rogers trade, and his absence changed the shape of that deal. It opened the door for Blade Tidwell to get a chance earlier than expected, though Tidwell’s own story turned sour later when he underwent Tommy John surgery in October and is expected to miss the entire 2027 season. Drew Gilbert, the third piece in the package, at least gave the Giants a healthy and productive season.
There was at least one encouraging note to close Buttó’s year. On September 29, the Giants said he should have a normal offseason and was expected to be ready for spring training. He was also set to make an instructional-league appearance on September 30.
The Giants didn’t get much of a sample, but they do have a baseline for what Buttó can bring. In his first run with the club last season, he posted a 4.50 ERA in 20 innings over 21 appearances. Before that, with the Mets in 2024, he logged a 2.55 ERA in 74 innings and made seven starts, going at least five innings in six of them.
He remains on the 60-day injured list, and the Giants still control his rights. If they want to keep him, they’ll have to bring him back to the 40-man roster once the World Series ends and tender him a contract. He figures to be part of the bullpen conversation as the Giants sort through their next round of changes.
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