SF Giants welcome back hard-throwing reliever, option Mason Black to the minors

Hard-throwing SF Giants reliever Randy Rodríguez is back with the club after missing the last six weeks with elbow inflammation. In a corresponding roster move, Mason Black was optioned back to Triple-A, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants welcome back hard-throwing reliever, option Mason Black to the minors

This is very much a procedural move for Black as the minor league season is done. The demotion concludes his 2024 campaign, which is not too surprising given that he made his final start of the year on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The rookie pitcher had his fair share of ups and downs this year. He did not start the year on the team's 40-man roster, but the Giants expected him to be promoted at some point this season.

Black went on a tear to start the Triple-A season. He posted a 1.01 ERA with 29 strikeouts and eight walks in 26.2 frames with the Sacramento River Cats before earning a midseason promotion to the Giants. At that point, it was evident that he did not have anything left to prove in the minors.

The right-handed hurler's major league career did not get off on the right foot. That is the case with many young pitchers. Minor league performance does not always translate to major league success, especially right away. That proved to be the case with Black as he tallied a 6.44 ERA in nine outings with San Francisco.

It did feel like Black would have a strong stretch through many of his starts, but a poor inning would distract from what could have become a good start. At the end of the day, the numbers are what they are.

In his place, Randy Rodríguez returns to give the Giants a little extra insurance in the final weekend of the season. The hard-throwing reliever pitched to a 3.93 ERA in 33 appearances out of the bullpen for the Giants before landing on the injured list.

The 2024 season has been a positive year of development for a handful of inexperienced relievers, including Rodríguez. The bullen struggled for much of the first half but it has been better in the second half of the season.

The Giants hope that relievers like Rodríguez take another step forward in 2025 and can become leverage arms. With a solid fastball-slider pitch mix, the 25-year-old pitcher has the stuff to pitch in the late innings, especially if the control continues to show improvement.