SF Giants pitcher's fantastic season comes to a halt

The SF Giants were dealt a tough blow on the injury front as one of their top pitchers hit the injured list on Saturday. Jakob Junis was removed from Friday's 7-2 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers after experiencing left hamstring tightness.

SF Giants pitcher's fantastic season comes to a halt

The right-handed hurler has been placed on the 15-day injured list with outfield prospect Heliot Ramos being recalled in a corresponding move. The Giants are calling it a Grade 2 hamstring strain, meaning that he will likely be out for several weeks.

Junis has been fantastic for the Giants after signing a one-year, $1.75 million pact just before the start of the season. It was a move that did not receive a lot of attention at the time, but one that has paid dividends in 2022.

The 29-year-old hurler has registered a 2.63 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 0.958 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, and a 4.00 SO/W ratio in nine appearances, including seven starts, this season. Junis has benefited from a more simplified pitch mix that relies heavily on his slider while nearly removing the four-seam fastball from his repertoire.

Opposing hitters have posted a meager .181 batting average against Junis' slider while his changeup and sinker have helped to keep the ball on the ground. The righty has set a career-best 47.8 percent ground ball rate in batted ball events in 2022.

Junis might already be the next important find by the front office but it is no exaggeration that he has been one of the best free-agent signings from this past winter.

Ramos will take his place on the roster. He recorded two hitless at-bats in the Giants' 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. This is Ramos' third stint with the Giants so far this season.

The outfield prospect has two hits in 11 at-bats for the Giants in 2022, but he has consistently made solid contact, so it is just a matter of time before some of those outs begin to fall for hits.

It has been a tough season for Ramos in his second turn through Triple-A. The right-handed bat is slashing .212/.300/.332 (62 wRC+) with six home runs, 18 RBI, and 29 runs in 207 plate appearances with the Sacramento River Cats.

However, he has been better lately as he has posted a .775 OPS with two homers in the month of June. His stay with the Giants might be short as San Francisco is set to welcome back a pair of starters in Alex Cobb and Anthony DeSclafani soon enough.