Elbow injury reveal totally clarifies young Giants starter's brutal spring training

Now it makes sense...

Nick San Miguel

Feb 18, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Hayden Birdsong (60) warms up during a Spring Training workout at Scottsdale Stadium Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The SF Giants got some tough news on Thursday as it was revealed that young starting pitcher Hayden Birdsong is dealing with an elbow issue and the team is waiting on a determination from its medical staff.

The hope is that it is not a long-term injury, but whenever a pitcher is dealing with an elbow issue in his throwing arm it is cause for concern. This injury news makes his struggles in spring training make a lot more sense.

Giants still have depth despite Birdsong injury news

Birdsong came into camp after working on his mechanics in the offseason. The hope was that a fresh start after a brutal end to his 2025 campaign is exactly what he needed to get back on track. The early results were not all that promising.

In 2 and 1/3 innings of work across three outings, Birdsong allowed eight earned runs. New manager Tony Vitello called out Birdsong's body language after his rough second outing and he was squarely behind the eight-ball after that.

His third outing was actually not that bad as it was a scoreless one so there was some hope that he was getting back on track. The elbow injury derails that hope, though.

One hopes that it is not a major injury and that he will not have to undergo surgery because in a worst-case scenario that could cause him to miss the entire 2026 season. Maybe it is just a minor issue that keeps him on the shelf for a few weeks and then he can try to find his form in Triple-A to begin the year.

Birdsong's stuff has never been in question. He has a high velocity fastball and some nasty offspeed pitches as well. What got him into trouble last season is that he just could not find the strike zone which earned him a demotion to Triple-A. There is so much talent and potential in that right arm so it would be a shame if he lost a year due to injury.

The Giants have to be thankful that other young arms in camp are showing promise. Trevor McDonald has looked very strong and so has Carson Seymour. Carson Whisenhunt looked better in his last outing after a rough start to spring and Blade Tidwell has shown promise too.

At some point the Giants will have to rely on these young arms if there is an injury in the rotation. Let's hope Birdsong does not require surgery and can get back into the mix as quickly as possible.

Nick San Miguel

Nick San Miguel has been writing at FanSided since 2017. He began as a contributor writing about the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and became a Site Co-Expert for AtF in 2024. A die-hard Bay Area sports fan born 10 minutes from Levi's Stadium, he has also written about the San Francisco 49ers for Niner Noise as a contributor since December 2023. In October 2025, he joined Blue Man Hoop as a contributor to write about the Golden State Warriors. He graduated with a degree in History from San Diego State University and is now based out of Chicago. He is the same age as Oracle Park.