Blade Tidwell’s season turned in the fourth inning Monday night, and the Giants’ pitching picture for 2027 may have changed with it. The rookie right-hander has gone on the 15-day injured list with a high-grade sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow after leaving San Francisco’s 5-2 victory over Minnesota at Oracle Park.
| Pitcher | 2026 line | Recent workload |
|---|---|---|
| Blade Tidwell | 4.45 ERA, 17 games, 9 starts | 57 pitches Monday; exited in the fourth inning |
| Landen Roupp | 4.01 ERA | 155 innings; shut down for the season |
Right-hander Braxton Roxby was brought up from Triple-A Sacramento to take Tidwell’s place on the 28-man roster.
Tidwell’s elbow concern arrives after a promising stretch
Tidwell, 25, worked three clean innings against the Twins before Brooks Lee led off the fourth with a home run. Two batters later, Tidwell bounced a sweeper to Ryan Jeffers and motioned toward the Giants’ dugout. Trainer Ryo Watanabe checked him on the mound, and the right-hander’s night was finished after 57 pitches.
Tidwell said he felt discomfort and called for the training staff because there was no sense in pushing through it at this stage of the season. An MRI performed Tuesday showed the UCL injury. He was scheduled to speak with team physician Ken Akizuki that night about his next steps and said a second medical opinion remained possible.
A high-grade UCL sprain can lead to Tommy John surgery, a possibility Tidwell acknowledged was troubling. Still, he said pitchers around the game have faced similar setbacks and that he believes he can handle the challenge.
The timing is especially rough for a club already short on young arms. Hayden Birdsong, Trevor McDonald and Carson Whisenhunt have each undergone Tommy John surgery this year. If Tidwell follows that path, the Giants’ supply of starting pitching will be further thinned heading toward next season.
Tidwell had settled into the rotation full time after the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline and showed growth through the uneven stretches. His strongest outing came Sept. 15 at Busch Stadium, where he allowed two runs over a career-best 6 2/3 innings against the Cardinals. He said his final few starts gave him encouraging signs to take into the offseason.
Rotation questions mount for 2027
Logan Webb and Roupp currently stand as the clearest rotation pieces for next year. Adrian Houser is under contract through 2027, though a right flexor strain has kept the veteran sidelined, and he moved between starting and relief work during his first season in San Francisco.
The organization’s remaining internal possibilities include Anthony Molina, Cesar Perdomo, Yunior Marte and Matt Wilkinson, a group with opportunity ahead but limited Major League certainty.
Roupp will not pitch again this regular season after the club decided his workload had reached its limit. His final appearance came Sept. 14, and his 155 innings represented a substantial increase from the 106 2/3 innings he logged for the Giants in 2025.
The right-hander described his year as a mix of satisfaction and frustration. He took pride in staying healthy for a full season without an injured-list stint, while also pointing to command as an offseason priority and expressing disappointment with several outings.
Manager Tony Vitello saw meaningful development in Roupp’s third year with the club. Vitello praised the pitcher’s competitiveness during games and said Roupp has been candid about both his strengths and the areas still requiring work.
With Roupp shut down and Tidwell injured, infielder Christian Koss is the lone remaining player from San Francisco’s 2026 Opening Day roster. The Giants have 24 players unavailable, including 16 currently assigned to the 60-day injured list.
