Rodríguez’s high-octane stuff has been badly missed by the Giants, who have struggled to find reliable back-end options for their bullpen this year. San Francisco’s relievers rank 19th in the Majors with a 4.19 ERA, with twelve different pitchers recording at least one save for the club in 2026.
The Giants plan to be on the market for bullpen help this offseason, but Rodríguez’s return should go a long way toward stabilizing a group that has experienced a ton of roster churn as of late.
“Obviously, I think it's an area we've talked about a lot that is going to have to improve,” Minasian said. “It’s certainly something we'll focus on outside of the organization, but we're going to need some improvement from inside, as well. I think one of the big hopes with someone like Randy is he's been out there and he's done it before. He made the All-Star team as a reliever at a very young age, so the ability's still there. Having that type of arm at the back end, it's just such a difference-maker.”
While Rodríguez emerged as one of the most dominant relievers in the National League last year, the Giants know they’ll have to temper their expectations for him in 2027, as pitchers often experience ups and downs in their first year back from Tommy John surgery.
“I think it's probably the responsible thing to do,” Minasian said. “You certainly hope and believe that he can come back and pitch well. But maybe not overload him and put so much weight on his shoulders, especially earlier in the year when maybe there's still some things he's getting a feel for. My guess is that's part of the reason why Randy wants to throw in the Fall League, to get through some of those things as quickly as possible.”
The 2026 Fall League season will begin on Oct. 3 and end with the championship game on Nov. 14 at Peoria Stadium.
