Southpaw reliever likely the odd man out when the SF Giants activate Erik Miller from the inured list

The SF Giants are set to activate Erik Miller from the injured list on Saturday, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. That move will likely make southpaw reliever Ryan Borucki the odd man out.

Southpaw reliever likely the odd man out when the SF Giants activate Erik Miller from the inured list

Miller landed on the injured list at the beginning of May with a back strain. The Giants did not appear too concerned with the injury and expected him to miss minimal time.

What role Miller assumes when he returns remains to be seen, but it will likely be a leverage role. Before the injury, he had a strong start to the year, pitching to a 3.18 ERA with 17 strikeouts and six walks in 11.1 innings.

The Giants have not gone with traditional bullpen roles in 2026. Miller has already recorded a pair of saves. Keaton Winn, Matt Gage, and Caleb Kilian have quickly emerged as some of the top options in Tony Vitello's bullpen hierarchy.

The Giants expect Sam Hentges and Jason Foley to move up that hierarchy as well. Hentges was just activated from the injured list, but he had a respectable four-year run with the Cleveland Guardians. On the other hand, Jason Foley just began a rehab assignment. That one will be on the lengthier side, so he might not return until the middle of June.

The Giants bullpen could be in a good spot by then. It is also hard to ignore that some of the Giants' top bullpen options throw from the left side. Gage has been great in a situational role, whereas Miller has assumed more of a lereage role. The Giants expect the same from Hentges.

Once Miller is activated, that would give the Giants four left-handed relievers. That feels like one too many, and a lot of bullpens carry no more than two southpaw relievers. That would seemingly put Ryan Borucki's roster spot in jeopardy.

The Giants signed Borucki to a major league deal right before the season began. He had been released by the Chicago White Sox after not making the club out of camp, and did not remain on the open market for long.

Presumably, this was done as a stopgap measure given that Hentges was going to miss the start of the season. Nevertheless, Borucki has struggled to a 5.14 ERA in 15 outings. Throughout his career, he has been effective against left-handed hitters, but has been unplayable against right-handed hitters. This remained true in 2026, as right-handed hitters put up a 1.308 OPS in 28 plate appearances against Borucki.

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