Struggling SF Giants starter simply cannot play a major role again in 2026

The lack of quality pitching depth on the SF Giants has been exposed after shipping off Kyle Harrison, Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval and Jordan Hicks at the trade deadline, even as they’ve turned things around in a big way over the last two weeks and won 11 of their last 14 games. One piece who has certainly not been a helpful component in that string of success is fledgling Kai-Wei Teng.

Teng has made six appearances at the big-league level so far, five of them starts, and has recorded decisions in each appearance, tallying a 2-4 record with a 7.54 ERA in 22.2 innings. He got tagged for the loss in his latest appearance against the Cardinals after only making it through four innings, walking five and giving up four earned runs but striking out eight. That start was a pretty accurate encapsulation of how his season’s gone – he walks a ton of guys (5.56 BB/9) and gives up a lot of runs, but he’s got good stuff and can strike out a bunch of guys too (11.12 K/9).

SF Giants starter Kai-Wei Teng is struggling

That kind of analysis is normally attached to arms who are better in short bursts, be it in a middle relief or mop-up role. The Giants did have him follow an opener back on August 8th against the Nationals, where he still recorded five shutout innings in what still was his best appearance of his career so far. Whether or not it’s a coincidence that his only appearance in relief happened to be his best outing, the Giants have certainly realized that Teng has been getting tagged in his second and third trips through the order.

When pitchers are seeing Teng for the first time, they’re only slashing .205/.311/.359, which is just peachy even though the OBP is over a hundred points higher than the batting average. The second time through the order is a very different story – every hitter magically transforms into Tony Gwynn, sporting a .387/.474/.419 line. If the goal is to get Teng to be a quality innings eater that goes late into games, that just plain won’t do.

Teng features five different pitch offerings – a slider, four-seamer, cutter, sinker, and changeup – so in theory, he should be able to keep hitters guessing deeper into games than he has been. His lack of command is obviously the biggest red flag, especially considering he’s only given up one home run in his 22+ innings and his 3.49 FIP is leaps and bounds better than his ERA.

The Giants have plenty of reason to let Teng play out the rest of September to see what they have in him going into next year. For 2026, their current rotation options are Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp, Carson Whisenhunt and Carson Seymour, plus Teng and maybe Keaton Winn. They’re almost certain to supplement that group with at least one outside hire as well, be it a Verlander reunion or someone even more impactful. That means, at least in April, Teng’s most probable path to a spot on the 26-man roster is as a long reliever, which is right where he belongs. Even that role isn’t a guarantee for him, as he still has two options remaining and will face competition.

Teng still has potential, and will probably make at least a few starts next year, but if he plays a significant role on next year’s Giants, it’s probably less of a vote of confidence in his ability and more an indictment of the team’s pitching depth and health. We’ll all be more than happy if Teng turns into a right-handed Blake Snell, though, minus all the being a no-good turncoat.

More from Around the Foghorn: