Giants' rotation in flux after Roupp hits IL with elbow inflammation

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants already had a hole in their rotation after demoting Hayden Birdsong to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday. Now they have two.

Right-hander Landen Roupp, who had emerged as the club’s No. 3 starter behind All-Stars Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, landed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation on Friday (retroactive to Wednesday), further thinning the Giants’ rotation depth with less than a week to go until the July 31 Trade Deadline.

Roupp said he started to feel his elbow tighten up during his start against the Dodgers at Oracle Park on July 12 and then felt the discomfort resurface when he worked five scoreless innings against the Braves on Tuesday. Still, he received relatively good news after an MRI exam didn’t reveal any structural damage in his elbow, spurring optimism that he’ll be able to return after missing the minimum 15 days.

"We think it’s pretty minor,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I took him out after the fifth because he was feeling it a little bit the last time. But I think we caught it at the right time. We were kind of considering maybe just skipping him a turn, but with the IL being 15 days, it basically comes down to two starts. We’re hopeful that he’s going to be able to come out after that. It was bothering him probably his last couple of starts, and based on where he is in the season, the innings and so forth, it just felt like it was a prudent thing to do. Hopefully we caught it at the right time.”

“I’m not too worried about it,” Roupp said. “Just kind of the last couple of starts have been feeling a little tight. It tightened up on me a little bit more [during] the last one in Atlanta. So far, with the imaging and stuff, it’s really good news. The plan right now is to no-throw for a week and then get back after that.”

Roupp, 26, has recorded a 3.11 ERA over 20 starts for the Giants this year, but he’s already thrown 101 1/3 innings, which is six shy of his career-high mark of 107 1/3, which he set in the Minors in 2022. Roupp said he didn’t feel like he needed a break before his elbow started barking, but he acknowledged that some time off could ultimately help him stay healthy and productive down the stretch.

"It’s not how I wanted it to go, obviously, but I think it will help me in the long run and pitching into October,” Roupp said. “I’d rather be out there pitching than down for two weeks, but in the big picture, it could definitely help.”

With Roupp shelved and Birdsong in the Minors, the state of the Giants’ rotation is currently “in flux,” according to Melvin. The club is expecting to cover Birdsong’s turn by running a bullpen game in Sunday’s series finale against the Mets, with Spencer Bivens, Carson Seymour and Tristan Beck -- who was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday to replace Roupp on the 26-man roster -- among the candidates to serve as bulk-innings pitchers.

Melvin said the Giants will likely have to call up another pitcher to make a spot start in place of Roupp against the Pirates on Monday. The top options at Triple-A Sacramento are left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, San Francisco’s No. 3 prospect, and right-hander Kai-Wei Teng, who has a 0.79 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings across his last five appearances (four starts) for the River Cats, though neither are on the 40-man roster.

The Giants felt good about their starting depth entering the season, but they’ve quickly been reminded that you can never have enough pitching, which could prompt them to seek out more rotation additions this week. Possible trade targets include the Brewers’ Jose Quintana, the Angels’ Kyle Hendricks, the Orioles’ Charlie Morton, the Pirates’ Andrew Heaney, the Royals’ Seth Lugo and the Rays’ Zack Littell.

"It feels like every team goes through it,” Melvin said. “Sometimes when it rains, it pours a little bit. We do have some guys we like in Triple-A as far as the depth goes. We’ll see where that goes, and we’ll see what the Deadline brings.”