SF Giants activate reliever Luke Jackson, send pitching prospect to Sacramento

The SF Giants activated Luke Jackson from the injured list on Monday. In a corresponding roster move, pitching prospect Nick Avila was optioned back to Triple-A, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants activate reliever Luke Jackson, send pitching prospect to Sacramento

The Giants will have a decision to make on Mitch White soon as well. They acquired him in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. He is out of minor league options, so they will need to activate him to the major league roster.

The Giants' bullpen certainly needs the help. That unit has posted a 5.56 ERA in 2024, which is the second-worst mark in baseball. Bullpens tend to be the most fluid part of any roster throughout the season, so the club will try to mix-and-match until they can find what works.

In the meantime, it feels like Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers, and Ryan Walker are the only reliable bullpen arms at the moment. Perhaps, Erik Miller deserves to be in that group even after allowing two runs (one earned) in Sunday's 5-3 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Oddly, Taylor Rogers has been rarely used this season and he has not looked good despite his 2.84 ERA in eight appearances.

The bullpen is light on depth and Jackson's return should help in that regard. The hard-throwing reliever sustained a lower back strain on Opening Day. He yielded three earned runs without recording an out against the San Diego Padres in his lone appearance this season. He recently began a rehab assignment with San Jose.

Jackson was a solid option in limited action last season. He posted a 2.97 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 1.23 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, and a 2.87 SO/W ratio in 33.1 frames. He flashes a mid-90's four-seam fastball but relies heavily on a slider that continues to be tough on opposing hitters.

Rookie reliever Nick Avila is being optioned back to Sacramento. Avila debuted for the Giants earlier this year, but struggled to the tune of a 7.04 ERA in seven appearances. This includes giving up two runs (one earned) in Sunday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Avila was quite good with Sacramento last season. He tallied a 3.00 ERA in 72 innings while sporting a flawless 14-0 record.