This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
TORONTO -- Matt Gage's Giants debut was more than a decade in the making.
A left-handed pitcher, Gage was selected by the Giants in the 10th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Siena College, but he never ended up reaching the Majors during his first stint with the organization. He climbed as high as Triple-A Sacramento before he was released in 2018, forcing him to seek big league opportunities elsewhere.
Gage never could have predicted that one day he’d end up back with the Giants, who selected his contract from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday and then watched him toss a scoreless eighth inning in a 4-0 series-opening loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
“Coming back to the organization is just a full-circle moment,” Gage said. “Baseball will take you to funny places. Coming back to the team that originally drafted you, seven years later, to get to the big leagues is amazing.”
With Erik Miller on the mend from a left elbow sprain, Gage is expected to serve as the Giants’ second lefty reliever behind Newark, Calif., native Joey Lucchesi for now. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Gage, San Francisco parted ways with fellow southpaw Scott Alexander, who cleared waivers and elected free agency.
Gage, 32, entered Friday with a 1.42 ERA in 22 career appearances for the Blue Jays, Astros and Tigers. He opened the 2025 campaign with Detroit and didn’t allow a run over 5 2/3 innings in six big league relief outings, but he was designated for assignment on June 26 and opted to hit the open market. He received interest from the Phillies, Nationals and Blue Jays, but he found himself drawn back to the Giants, who signed him to a Minor League deal on July 2.
Gage tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings in five appearances for Triple-A Sacramento before he received his long-awaited callup from the Giants this week. It’s still early, but the club has liked what it’s seen from its one-time farmhand thus far.
“He gets righties out, he gets lefties out,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s been getting everybody out. I think you’re always trying to find incremental upgrades, especially if it’s in your system.”
Losing Miller was a significant blow for San Francisco, as the 27-year-old had a 1.50 ERA over 36 appearances before landing on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 3. He’s slated to begin a throwing program in Arizona on Saturday, but he’s still expected to be out for several weeks. The Giants will likely use the second half of this month to evaluate Lucchesi and Gage and determine whether or not they need to add another lefty reliever to their bullpen mix ahead of the July 31 Trade Deadline.
Lucchesi, 32, opened the season at Triple-A Sacramento, but he's recorded a 2.70 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 10 innings since being called up by the Giants on June 15 and has looked comfortable filling in for Miller recently.
“Lucchesi’s done a really nice job for us,” Melvin said. “He’s come in in big situations, heart of the order, or whatever the big pockets of lefties are. He’s gotten righties out, too. He’s become a guy that we’re not afraid to use, obviously, in big situations and big parts of the game.”