The Giants announced that left-hander Sam Hentges has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left forearm strain. The placement is retroactive to August 27. Left-hander Matt Wilkinson was officially recalled from Triple-A to take Hentges’ place on the active roster, though Wilkinson was already in the clubhouse as the 27th man for yesterday’s doubleheader.
Unless the strain is the mildest possible variety, the IL placement probably marks the end of Hentges’ 2026 season. The Giants are out of contention and have no reason to rush Hentges back, and Hentges himself may prefer to err on the side of caution in regards to a forearm issue given how injuries have already kept him on the shelf for most of the last few seasons.
Breaking into the majors with Cleveland in 2021, Hentges became a reliable member of the Guardians’ bullpen before shoulder problems emerged midway through the 2024 season. He underwent shoulder surgery in September of that year, and then in September 2025 had an arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The Guards chose to non-tender Hentges in the wake of these injuries, and the Giants stepped in to sign the southpaw to a one-year, $1.4MM free agent deal.
The knee rehab pushed back Hentges’ offseason throwing progression and delayed his season debut until May 10, which marked his first MLB game since July 10, 2024. Once finally getting back to action, Hentges didn’t really miss a beat, posting a 3.27 ERA, 22.7% strikeout rate, and 46.1% grounder rate over 33 innings. His hard-contact and barrel rates were also excellent, and Hentges has yet to allow a home run all year. The only red flag is a garish 14.9% walk rate, as Hentges had just an 8.4BB% in 206 2/3 innings prior to this season.
Hentges has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility, so the Giants can retain him for 2027 for a salary not far beyond his $1.4MM number this year (he previously earned $1.337M for 2025 after avoiding arbitration with Cleveland). If the forearm strain is a precursor to a more serious elbow issue, however, Hentges could find himself non-tendered again.
