Surprise SF Giants Opening Day inclusion taking full advantage of his opportunity

Entering spring training this season, many SF Giants fans would have been surprised if reliever Caleb Kilian made the team but that is exactly what he did and he is taking full advantage of his opportunity early in the regular season.

Out of the nine relievers who earned a spot on the Giants' 2026 Opening Day roster, just three were drafted by the organization, but only two can actually be pegged as truly homegrown. Ryan Walker and Keaton Winn were picked in the 2018 draft — in the 31st and fifth rounds, respectively — and Caleb Kilian was taken in the eighth round of the 2019 draft. The particularity of the latter is that he spent the early phases of his development within the Giants system before being traded to the Chicago Cubs at the 2021 deadline as part of the Kris Bryant deal.

After bouncing between Triple-A and the majors for over three seasons, the right-hander got designated for assignment, released, re-signed to a minor-league deal, and ultimately opted for free agency in November 2025. That’s when his full-circle moment began, with the Giants signing him to a minor-league contract in December of last year.

Early returns on Kilian are promising for Giants

Caleb Kilian entered camp as an underdog, but quickly turned heads. He finished spring training with an impressive 0.96 ERA in 9 1/3 innings pitched, allowing just five hits while striking out 10 batters. His four-seamer easily averaged over 97 mph, and manager Tony Vitello and the front office rewarded his hard work with a spot on the Opening Day roster.

He's been dominant in his first two outings with the Giants. His number was first called on Opening Day, when he pitched in the ninth inning of the Giants' 7-0 loss to the New York Yankees. He put together a nice 1-2-3 inning, inducing both Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger to ground out while striking out Ben Rice.

In his second outing, the 28-year-old entered the game under different circumstances. He came in for Adrian Houser, who threw 5 1/3 solid innings in his first start as a Giant but left the mound with runners on second and third with just one out. Caleb Kilian took care of business and stranded both baserunners. After pitching the Giants out of a jam in the sixth, he cruised through the seventh in just nine pitches. None of the eight batters he has faced this season have managed to collect a hit, making him one of three relievers who remain "unhittable" through six games — Keaton Winn and Matt Gage are the other two.

Relief unit making an early statement

The bullpen was the major concern coming into the season. But so far, aside from José Buttó's nightmare inning in yesterday's 7-1 loss to the Padres — when he retired just one of eight batters while allowing four runs and four walks — the bullpen has been a major bright spot.

The Giants entered yesterday's series finale with the seventh-lowest relievers' ERA at 1.93 before it ballooned to 3.28 after that disastrous ninth inning. Even after Buttó's meltdown, the Giants' relief corps remains tied for the second-fewest hits allowed (13, tied with the Dodgers) and boasts the eighth-lowest WHIP (1.13) and fourth-lowest batting average against (.178).

Despite all the apprehension surrounding the bullpen during the offseason and spring training, it's been the bats that have hindered the Giants the most so far. Following the series finale against the Padres, the offense ranks last in runs (14), 25th in hits (39), 25th in batting average (.201), and 29th in OPS (.558), while the defense, aside from a couple of misplays, has been solid.