After going nearly two months with a set, stable rotation, the San Francisco Giants will make their second change to it this week. On Wednesday, after their 8-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals, manager Bob Melvin announced that veteran right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander is headed for the 15-Day Injured List.
Verlander struggled during an appearance on Sunday, not having the results or the velocity that he’s accustomed to. After the game he said he was dealing with something physical, but wouldn’t elaborate. On Tuesday, Melvin said that it was a pectoral issue for Verlander, and that they’d give him another day and reassess.
The reassessment is neither good news nor bad news. According to Melvin, the IL stint — which is for nerve irritation in his right pec — is out of a desire to not push Verlander too hard. The Giants had determined that he would skip his upcoming start, and a little breather on the IL will give him some extra time off. Melvin sounded very optimistic that the three-time Cy Young winner will be back in the rotation after his two-start hiatus, and the 15-day stint on the IL can be retroactive to his Sunday start.
Melvin didn’t reveal who will start in Verlander’s absence, but the Giants have two clear options: Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks.
It’s only a matter of time before Harrison is back to being a staple in the rotation, and Hicks was just demoted to the bullpen, so it would make sense to go with the young southpaw. On the other hand, Harrison hasn’t made a start since April 30, so he’s not fully stretched out. Hicks, however, has been starting all year, so he could more conventionally slide back into a first inning role.
Potentially coming into play is the fact that Harrison is seen as a future stalwart of the rotation and, if he pitches well in two starts, it would be very difficult to send him back to the bullpen. Hicks, on the other hand, can fairly easily head back to a relief role, regardless of how well he pitches. That makes Hicks the easy choice if they’re worried about difficult decisions down the line, which I doubt they are.
Either way, the Giants will also have to call someone up to fill the hole in the bullpen left by Harrison or Hicks joining the rotation. Right-handed relievers Tristan Beck and Sean Hjelle would seem to be the favorites given their current roles in AAA Sacramento and their success last year, though right-handed starters Carson Seymour, Mason Black, and Trevor McDonald are all pitching decently in Sacramento, and on the 40-man roster. The Giants, who have two open spots on the 40-man roster, could also promote lefty Carson Whisenhunt, who has been thoroughly dominant this month, or they could call on Barney Nugent Award winner Joel Peguero to add some triple-digit heat to the bullpen.
We might not find out for a few days. The Giants have an off-day on Thursday, so they may not announce a move until Friday’s road game against the Washington Nationals. Because of the off-day, the Giants could also move the rotation up a day, to get a little extra rest time for Harrison (who pitched on Tuesday) or Hicks (who pitched on Wednesday). Verlander was scheduled to pitch on Saturday.
