Ryan Walker's days with SF Giants may be numbered after recent roster moves

If one can remember back just a few months ago, Ryan Walker was the de facto closer of the SF Giants. Yes, it seems like ages ago but after Walker was passed over multiple times for a promotion his days with the Giants may be numbered.

After Joel Peguero went on the IL recently due to a hamstring issue, Walker was a definite possibility to replace him on the big league roster. He had a 1.93 ERA in five Triple-A appearances with the Sacramento River Cats after he was demoted, but the Giants instead decided to call up rookie Wilkin Ramos.

Then, when Matt Gage went on the IL with a knee injury on Wednesday it again presented an opportunity for the Giants to call up Walker. The Giants decided to call up Dylan Smith instead.

Ryan Walker has looked a lot better since his demotion to Triple-A

Walker has now made six appearances for Sacramento and he sports a 1.42 ERA in 6 and 1/3 innings pitched. He’s issued two walks and allowed five hits while striking out seven batters. It’s encouraging that he has cut down on the walks after his lack of command was a big reason he got demoted in the first place.

While Walker was once a dominant force out of the bullpen in 2024, his struggles in 2025 only got worse in 2026 as he had a 6.46 ERA in 15 and 1/3 innings of work. Eventually the Giants had to make a move after it was clear he was no longer effective as a late-inning arm and was even struggling in low-leverage outings.

Perhaps the Giants just want to be absolutely sure Walker has his command under control before bringing him back to the big league team. No matter what, this does not seem like it will be the brief two-week demotion that Camilo Doval had in 2024 before he was brought back up to the big league team.

It just feels like the Giants may decide to move on from him at some point. Maybe they can trade him to another club willing to take a shot on a once-promising reliever or maybe they will just let him go if they have to clear space on the 40-man roster.

It’s clear that the Giants are in no rush to bring him back and they probably know that fans would be incredibly annoyed if the team did so. Perhaps it’s just patience, but it could also be a signal that the team is prepared to move on from Walker. 

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