Farhan Zaidi outlines plan for a pair of young SF Giants pitchers to finish the season in the rotation

With Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison nearing career highs in innings pitched, it makes sense for the SF Giants to consider shutting down both pitchers before the end of the season. However, Farhan Zaidi poured cold water on that idea.

Farhan Zaidi outlines plan for a pair of young SF Giants pitchers to finish the season in the rotation

Zaidi joined Tom Tolbert and Adam Copeland on the Tolbert and Copes Show on KNBR to discuss the team's plan with their young pitchers:

With the missed time with the ankle injury, he's [Kyle Harrison] is actually in a position to make every start the rest of the way... With Hayden [Birdsong], we found some pockets here to give him some time off, to preserve his arm.

Harrison did miss nearly a month of the year with an ankle injury. While the injury was not considered serious, it did allow the Giants to bank some of his starts for later in the year.

The lefty pitcher has posted a 3.69 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, and a 2.73 SO/W rate in 18 starts. He has completed 97.2 innings in 2024, which is just shy of his career-high as a pro with 113 innings set in 2022.

The Giants feel comfortable that he can safely exceed that mark and they will likely use the schedule as a way to give him extra rest in between starts when needed.

On the other hand, Birdsong is in a similar position. He completed 100.2 innings split across three level in his first year as a pro in 2023 and he is nearing that mark with two months left in the season.

So far, the righty pitcher has thrown 87.2 frames overall with 30.1 innings coming in a Giants uniform. He last pitched in the final weekend of July before he was optioned to San Jose.

The expectation is that he will return to the rotation early next week. This is along the lines of the "pockets" Zaidi was referring to with the schedule. The Giants had two days off this week, so there is no pressing need for a fifth pitcher.

Birdsong has been impressive during his brief time with the Giants. He has posted a 2.97 ERA in six starts. And, there is now a clear path to playing time following the Alex Cobb trade to the Cleveland Guardians.

The Giants hope that Birdsong and Harrison can hold down rotation spots for years to come and they both look the part. While they have assumed a relatively heavy workload in 2024, the team plans to keep both in the rotation down the stretch.