The choice to replace Verlander in SF Giants rotation should be obvious

The SF Giants announced that veteran starter Justin Verlander will be headed to the 15-day IL with a pectoral injury. The choice to replace him should be clear as Kyle Harrison has looked very good as a reliever for the Giants thus far.

Verlander spoke vaguely about physical issues that he had to deal with in his last start, but we now know what it is he was dealing with. One hopes he will only miss his next two starts, but it makes sense that the Giants are being cautious with the 42-year-old.

SF Giants should turn to Kyle Harrison to replace Justin Verlander

Now, the attention will turn to who will take Verlander's place in the starting rotation. There are three main candidates for the spot, but Harrison should be considered the favorite.

Harrison has looked very strong in the 5 and 1/3 innings he has pitched at the big league level this season. He has recorded seven strikeouts while allowing just two earned runs, but perhaps most importantly his fastball velocity is back to the high-90's which is a great sign.

One problem is that Harrison could only be counted on to throw roughly 50 pitches according to manager Bob Melvin. That means Harrison would probably only get through about three innings if the Giants were to use him as a starter, but they could use Spencer Bivens or Jordan Hicks to piggyback off of him.

Another option would be to promote a pitcher from Triple-A like Carson Whisenhunt, who has looked great as of late, Mason Black, or Carson Seymour. The Giants could also use one of these young arms to support Harrison after his start.

The Giants could opt to let Hicks start the next two times Verlander was set to take the ball since his arm is built up more, but there is a reason that he was moved back to the bullpen while Hayden Birdsong was moved into the rotation.

There is not a perfect option, but Harrison has earned the right to start these next two times through the rotation. His future with the Giants is as a starter so it makes sense to give him these opportunities.

We knew there was a decent chance Verlander would spend some time on the IL this year, but it is nice that the Giants have a good amount of depth to draw upon. Harrison makes the most sense to replace the veteran right now, but we will see how the Giants decide to handle things.