SF Giants Players Review 2026: Injuries derailed Matt Gage’s promising season

A season that started with modest expectations ended in regrets and what-ifs for journeyman reliever Matt Gage. Selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 10th round of the 2014 MLB draft, Gage spent his first four seasons in the Giants' system before getting released in July 2018. Since then, Gage had bounced around between Mexico, independent baseball, and a handful of major-league organizations before the Giants signed him in July of last year, giving him a second shot with the franchise that drafted him.

Gage played in 27 games and pitched 25 1/3 innings for San Francisco in 2025, posting a 3.91 ERA. After a strong spring training in which he allowed just three hits and two earned runs over 6 1/3 innings while striking out nine batters without issuing a walk, Gage earned himself a spot in the opening-day bullpen as a left-handed option.

Matt Gage's excellent start turned into a nightmare for Giants

Right out of the gate, Gage pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the Giants' 3-0 Opening Day loss against the New York Yankees. It was the first of seven scoreless appearances for Gage, covering 6 2/3 innings.

After surrendering a run in back-to-back outings in mid-April, Gage went on another scoreless-inning streak, this time lasting 12 appearances. He did give up an unearned run on April 30: a walk-off RBI sac fly against the Phillies that saddled him with a loss. By the end of May, Gage had appeared in 28 games, pitched 23 innings, and posted a 1.96 ERA, notching a couple of milestones along the way.

On April 8 at Oracle Park against that same Phillies squad, Gage picked up his first MLB victory in the Giants' 5-0 win 12 years after the organization picked him in the draft. Then on May 15, he earned his first major-league save by pitching a perfect ninth inning in a 6-4 victory over the Athletics. He would even be credited with another win when he struck out four White Sox hitters in 1 1/3 innings on May 23.

June marked the start of the slide for Gage. A couple of days after giving up two runs over one inning against the Brewers on June 1, Gage was placed on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation. He started his rehab assignment in San Jose less than two weeks later, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and was activated on June 17. A few hours later, Gage failed to retire more than one Braves batter while issuing two walks and allowing two runs.

Gage would appear in three other games before throwing his last pitches of the year on July 3 against the Rockies in Colorado. In fact, Gage threw a career-high 51 pitches in that outing. He lasted 1 1/3 innings and gave up six runs, including a Jake McCarthy grand slam, in the Giants' 15-3 blowout loss. His ERA rose from 3.81 to 5.60 after that rough performance. He was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow strain the next day, then on the 60-day IL on August 2 and never pitched again in the 2026 season, though he did try to come back.

Renewed elbow discomfort in early September after three rehab assignments in Sacramento in which he allowed five earned runs over 2 1/3 innings led to the Giants pulling him off his assignment and putting an official end to his season.

As demoralizing as the last few months had been for Gage, his year ended on somewhat of a high note, as he was fully cleared for a normal offseason on September 29. Now the attention shifts to the future.

Gage entered the 2026 season on a one-year deal with no minor-league options available. With Gage still on the 60-day IL, the Giants would need to tender Gage a contract for the 2027 season if they want to retain him on the 40-man roster. His injury issues have been a red flag, just like his strong start is proof that he can be an efficient lefty out of the bullpen. Left-handed batters hit .190 with a .691 OPS skewed by an unusually high .358 on-base percentage.

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