SAN FRANCISCO — Randy Rodríguez will have a choice to make in the coming days, but all signs point to one option.
Rodríguez has been recommended to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow by multiple doctors — Giants’ head team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki and Dr. Keith Meister — the Giants announced on Friday.
The 25-year-old All-Star, who has a 1.78 ERA with 67 strikeouts over 50 2/3 innings, will decide his course of action over the weekend. If Rodríguez opts for surgery, the procedure won’t just end the remainder of this season, but will likely sideline him for all of next season.
“From spring training last year to where he is right now, it’s pretty extreme,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Credit to him. Hard work, perseverance, good stuff, finding mechanics that work for him. For a while there, probably the most important role we had as a guy that came in and had to get the big outs. Disappointing, obviously — for him, for us. There’s a timetable in that if he does do it. I’m sure he’ll be healthy and ready to go after that.”
The Giants have exercised caution with Rodríguez, who missed about six weeks last season due to right elbow inflammation. Rodríguez has only pitched on back-to-back days six times this season, the last instance being on July 26 and July 27 against the New York Mets. Despite those best efforts, Rodríguez still appears to be headed under the knife.
With Rodríguez likely missing all of next season — the timetable to return is roughly 12 to 18 months — the Giants’ brass will be tasked with bolstering their bullpen in the offseason.
San Francisco’s bullpen enters Friday with the second-best ERA in the majors (3.22), but that unit looks significantly different now compared to the beginning of the season.
Along with Rodríguez, left-hander Erik Miller is currently recovering from a left elbow sprain and could be done for the season following a setback in his recover. At the trade deadline, the Giants traded Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets and Camilo Doval to the New York Yankees. Still, the Giants have a foundation in the bullpen upon which they can build.
Ryan Walker lost the closer role to Doval in late May following extended struggles but has been effective since the demotion. With the help of a mechanical tweak, Walker is posting a 1.77 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 20 1/3 innings since July. Now, Walker will return to the closer role for the foreseeable future.
“It sucks,” Walker said of Rodríguez’s injury on Wednesday. “You never want to see guys go down like that. … He’s good mentally, doing whatever he needs to do to get that resolved. What’s great about our ‘pen is that we’ve got everybody’s backs. We’ll fill the void right now and we’ll get the job done.”
Right-hander José Buttó will likely have more opportunities in higher leverage roles as well. Buttó, acquired from the Mets as part of the Rogers trade, owns a 2.38 ERA and 2.24 FIP over 11 1/3 innings since joining the Giants. Notably, Buttó has gone from having a 12.2 percent career walk rate with the Mets to 7.1 percent with the Giants.
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Along with Walker and Buttó, left-hander Matt Gage has posted a 1.10 ERA over 16 1/3 innings since joining the Giants last month. San Francisco should also get an extended look at rookie flamethrower Joel Peguero, who hasn’t allowed a run over 5 2/3 innings.
“It was tough to navigate,” Walker said of the changing bullpen. “Losing Ty was tough. He was our leader down there. We adapted quick. People took over roles. That’s what we’re designed to do, that’s what we’re taught. It’s been cool to see people thrive in different roles since that happened.”
