SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants closer Randy Rodríguez’s 2026 season is in jeopardy.
The right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with a right elbow sprain. A review of his MRI by Giants head team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki led to a recommendation on Friday that Rodríguez have Tommy John surgery. Dr. Keith Meister also took a look at his MRI and agreed with Akizuki.
It’s not the news manager Bob Melvin was hoping to hear after initially expressing optimism on Sunday that Rodríguez would have been ready to go on Tuesday, before he was ultimately placed on the IL. Now, the worst-case scenario seems to be confirmed.
“You kind of had a feeling, but we were hoping for the best,” Melvin said. “Now, he still has to decide what he wants to do and if so, who the doctor is going to be and what the timetable is. So, he’s still got some decisions to make.”
Rodríguez, while disappointed with the news, will take the weekend to decide on his course of action, but his options appear to be limited.
“We’ve talked about getting some injections and things like that,” Rodríguez said in Spanish. “It’s my first time going through this situation, so I’m taking advice from my agent as well.”
The only other way that Melvin can see would be Rodríguez choosing to rest and rehab his way back, but admitted that seems to be unlikely considering what they’ve heard from the doctors and the second opinions.
It’s a tough blow for the Giants’ bullpen. They lose one of their most trusted high-leverage arms in Rodríguez, who split closing duties with Ryan Walker and was also used in a setup role. He posted a 1.78 ERA with four saves over 50 2/3 innings.
“For a while there, probably the most important role we had as a guy that came in and had to get the big outs,” Melvin said. “Disappointing obviously, for him and for us, but there’s a timetable involved in [surgery]. If he does do it, I’m sure he’ll be healthy and ready to go after that.”
It’s difficult news for Rodríguez, too. He missed over a month in 2024 with right elbow inflammation and has had trouble bouncing back. The pain has not gone away since last season.
“The trainers have been doing a great job,” he said. “They’ve kept me ready to play.”
The Giants have tried to manage Rodríguez’s workload, but he’d dealt with lingering soreness in his elbow throughout the season, which came to a head when Rodríguez said the pain in his elbow felt “intolerable” after his outing against the Padres on Aug. 18. He pitched one more time four days later against the Brewers before the decision was made to shut him down on Sunday.