Giants starter Trevor McDonald will need to undergo Tommy John surgery, manager Tony Vitello said on Tuesday (link via Maria Guardado of MLB.com). The full UCL reconstruction typically comes with a 14-16 month recovery that’ll probably keep him out for all of 2027.
This was the fear when McDonald went on the injured list last week with a moderate UCL sprain. The 25-year-old had held a spot in San Francisco’s rotation since early May. McDonald pitched well early on before tailing off shortly before the injury. He finishes his first extended big league season with a 5.12 earned run average across 70 1/3 innings. He posted a 55.2% ground-ball rate with a modest 18.4% strikeout percentage.
Vitello also provided a bizarre update on Harrison Bader, who has been out since late May with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Bader reinjured his foot in a scooter accident on Saturday night and was sent for imaging on Tuesday. The team hasn’t announced results of the testing. As Guardado and Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News point out, Bader was previously injured in what was believed to be an alcohol-related scooter accident while in his sophomore season at the University of Florida in 2014. The Gators suspended him for 19 games.
McDonald is under team control for another six seasons. Bader is in the first season of what looks to be a rough two-year, $20.5MM free agent contract. Both players could eventually move to the 60-day injured list, but the Giants already have one open 40-man roster spot and are likely to clear a few more with trades of Luis Arraez, Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle by Monday.
