Well, here’s some terrible news to sour a nice winning streak. Per Andrew Baggarly:
That they’ve already gotten the second opinion shows just how serious this was from the outset. It was bad right away. The only remaining options are a third opinion or
perhaps some other procedure as yet unnamed, but that seems like a lot of playing when the fate of most pitchers is to have a Tommy John procedure at least once in his MLB career. The cost of doing business. That it’s happening so soon into his breakout is the true stunner.
For Rodriguez, it spells the end of his All-Star 2025 season. He struck out 67 in 50.2 IP and had a 1.78 ERA (2.39 FIP) and 0.88 WHIP — just 11 walks and 4 home runs allowed. As of August 29th, he was the 12th-most valuable reliever by fWAR at +1.4. It was an elite season. It also cancels out his 2026 season, as even the lowest range of the recovery timeframe is 9 months — the average is about 12 months, with some rehabs taking as long as 18 months. And, of course, with the looming threat of a lockout by ownership following 2026, there’s a nonzero chance we might not see him on the mound again until late in 2027 or even 2028 (though, that seems highly unlikely, if the owners have any sense of self-preservation).
It’s a blow to the Giants’ bullpen plans for next season, too, but that’s far less important than the overall health of one player. Bullpens are made to be remade, year after year, and even in-season. The Core Four doesn’t come around all that often and banking on stability a fool’s errand.
In the meantime, here’s to a smooth surgery and recovery period, Randy Rodriguez.
