In a move that will surely infuriate KNBR callers, the San Francisco Giants are bringing back Ryan Walker. Prior to Friday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs, the Giants announced that the right-handed reliever has been recalled from AAA Sacramento, while fellow right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour was optioned.
By now you’re all familiar with Walker’s story. He was a breakout star in 2024, when he pitched at an All-Star level while taking the closer job from Camilo Doval. He struggled a bit
last year and lost his job, but was still a valuable part of the bullpen. And this year, those struggles hit him extra hard, as he had a 6.46 ERA and a 4.93 FIP, before getting sent to the Minors for the first time since 2023.
But Walker is still one of, if not the most talented pitcher that the Giants have in the bullpen. It’s just a matter of corralling his stuff. He pitched well in eight appearances with the River Cats, finishing with a 1.93 ERA and a 3.78 FIP. He didn’t strike a lot of batters out, but, critically, he didn’t walk many either. Hopefully he can maintain those control improvements in the Majors.
As for Seymour, he heads back to AAA after a brief stay in the bigs. He pitched in two games for the Giants over the last week, but really struggled, giving up 11 hits and seven earned runs in just 4.1 innings. He was pitching in Sacramento’s rotation at the time of his call up, so he’ll likely continue to get stretched out in AAA.
