Former SF Giants All-Star returns to majors after disappointing 2023 campaign

Former SF Giants All-Star Johnny Cueto is back in the majors after an extended absence. The Los Angeles Angels have selected his contract and are planning for him to start on Wednesday according to Héctor Gómez of Z101 Digital.

Former SF Giants All-Star returns to majors after disappointing 2023 campaign

This will be Cueto's first stint back in the majors after he struggled to the tune of a 6.02 ERA in 13 outings with the Miami Marlins last season. The veteran hurler received a $2.5 million buyout after the Marlins declined his $10.5 million club option for 2024.

Since then, Cueto has worked in the minors for both the Texas Rangers and Angels as the opportunities to sign a major league deal dried up. In 13 appearances split between those two appearances, he has tallied 4.76 ERA with 49 strikeouts against only 10 walks in 64.1 innings. This includes a 3.09 ERA in four appearances with the Angels' Triple-A club.

His 2024 debut will mark the 17th straight season in which Cueto has appeared in the majors. He made a name for himself with the Cincinnati Reds, posting a 3.21 ERA in parts of eight seasons before being shipped to the Kansas City Royals in a midseason trade in 2015.

That year, the righty pitcher helped the Royals clinch their first World Series title since 1985 before becoming a free agent. He joined the Giants on a six-year, $130 pact before the 2016 season. The early returns on that deal were excellent as he tallied a 2.79 ERA in his first season while earning an NL All-Star nod and helping the Giants reach the playoffs once more.

The veteran pitcher continued to put up respectable numbers after that season, but he was no longer the elite pitcher he was earlier in his career, especially after he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018.

Cueto finished out his contract with the Giants while being part of the 107-win team in 2021. After not making the playoff roster, the Giants declined his $22 million club option, thereby making him a free agent. He put together a resurgent campaign with the Chicago White Sox in 2022 but has struggled to be effective since then. Cueto will get another shot to prove he still has something left in the tank with the Angels.