The Giants announced on Monday morning that they have selected right-hander JT Brubaker and recalled outfielder Grant McCray from Triple-A Sacramento as rosters expand from 26 to 28.
All-Star reliever Randy Rodríguez, who elected to undergo Tommy John surgery this weekend, was placed on the 60-day injured list.
The Giants are still alive in the playoff hunt — five games out of a wild-card spot after winning seven of their last eight games — and Brubaker and McCray were likely the best choices to help San Francisco win now. Brubaker could be used as either a multi-inning reliever or starter and McCray can be deployed as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.
Brubaker, 31, has pitched in four major-league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees, owning a career 4.91 ERA and 4.40 FIP over 331 2/3 career innings. Brubaker, who made his debut in 2020, missed all of ’23 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, then spent all of ’24 in the minors with the Yankees.
The right-hander was a starter during his three seasons with the Pirates but was used exclusively as a reliever with the Yankees this season, posting a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings as a reliever with 10 strikeouts.
It’s possible that Brubaker gets an opportunity to start with San Francisco given the state of the team’s rotation depth. Landen Roupp is likely out for the season after suffering a bone bruise, while Carson Whisenhunt was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday with a back strain.
Right-hander Kai-Wei Teng is slated to start in Whisenhunt’s place on Monday against the Rockies, but Teng enters the outing with an 8.78 ERA over four appearances (three starts) this season. Should Teng continue to struggle, it could open the door for Brubaker to start.
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For McCray, this marks his second stint with the Giants this season. The 24-year-old spent most of August with San Francisco but posted a slash line of .100/.100/.200 over 10 games while striking out in 10 of his 21 plate appearances.
The Giants could’ve used the additional roster spot to get a look at outfielder Marco Luciano, but Luciano will remain with Sacramento for the time being.
Over the last two months, the 23-year-old Luciano has made a compelling case to earn his first shot in the majors this season. Since July, Luciano is hitting .252/.411/.585 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs for the River Cats while still continuing to learn a new position. Should San Francisco fall out of contention, Luciano could get a look later in the month.
