SF Giants may need to turn to pitcher dealing in Triple-A to address rotation woes

The SF Giants are in a rough spot with their starting rotation right now. With Hayden Birdsong struggling and being demoted as well as Landen Roupp going on the IL, the Giants may have to turn to Kai-Wei Teng in Triple-A Sacramento.

Teng has pitched well for the River Cats this season. In 25 games, 4 of them starts, and 54 innings pitched, he has a 3.67 ERA with 86 strikeouts and 21 walks as well as a 1.11 WHIP.

SF Giants may need to turn to Kai-Wei Teng to address rotation woes

Teng has had a phenomenal month of July. He has a 0.52 ERA in 17 and 1/3 innings pitched and made three starts, going five or more innings in all three of them. He recorded 11 strikeouts in five innings of work in a very impressive start in early July.

With the Giants desperate for some sort of relief to their rotation, Teng could be their best option. Carson Seymour was called up recently but he struggled a bit in his brief stint with the Giants earlier this year.

Tristan Beck, who was called up after Roupp landed on the IL, has started games for the Giants in the past but he too has struggled this season. Spencer Bivens and Sean Hjelle are other options, but they are not typically used as starters. There are some other options in Triple-A but they have not been as sharp as Teng.

The main complication is that Teng is not currently on the 40-man roster. If the Giants were to add him to the big league club they would have to make room by placing another player on waivers which they may not want to do.

If the Giants were to call up Teng, it would not be his first taste of the big leagues. He made his MLB debut with the Giants last season and had a rough rookie campaign with a 9.82 ERA in four appearances and 11 innings of work.

The Giants designated him for assignment last November, but they brought him back shortly thereafter on a minor league deal.

As of right now, he may be the team's best short-term option to fill one of the holes left by Birdsong and Roupp in the rotation.

Of course, addressing the rotation seems like a primary concern for the front office ahead of the trade deadline. Even before Roupp's injury it was clear the Giants probably needed at least one more reliable starter.

But for the time being, promoting Teng may make the most sense as the Giants try to ensure their rotation is not completely depleted.

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