Why veteran hurler is returning to the SF Giants rotation after stint on injured list

According to Shayna Rubin of The San Francisco Chronicle, veteran SF Giants Tyler Mahle is expected to return to the rotation on Wednesday. That decision is likely being driven by a motivation to showcase him before the trade deadline.

Mahle joined the Giants on a one-year, $10 million pact in the offseason. Bruce Bochy, who is now serving as a special advisor, was a driving force behind the move. Mahle pitched for Bochy for the past two seasons with the Texas Rangers.

At the time, that felt like a bargain deal. After all, the right-handed pitcher has quality career numbers, posting a 4.21 ERA across 10 major league seasons. However, durability has been a major question mark, as he has made only 24 starts in the three seasons leading up to this one.

The SF Giants hopes for Tyler Mahle have shifted to the trade deadline

While the Giants hoped that Mahle would be a bargain addition to the rotation, it has not quite played out that way. He has struggled to a 6.04 ERA in 11 starts before landing on the injured list at the end of May with a hamstring strain.

The Giants have a different hope for Mahle now. As of Saturday afternoon, they are 13 games below .500 and look like likely sellers unless something drastic changes. They will look to shed all of their expiring contracts, including Robbie Ray, Luis Arráez, and Mahle.

At this point in time, Mahle has little trade value. That likely will not change all that much in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. However, a good stretch of starts could convince teams that he is back to being the mid-rotation arm he has been for much of his career.

That said, Mahle may not command much as a rental. If the Giants get a low-level, wild card prospect, that might be enough to strike a deal. Of course, they may have a financial incetive to find a trade partner as well.

The 31-year-old pitcher is owed about $5 million for the remainder of the year. That is not much in baseball terms, but the Giants would like to offload the remainder of his deal to another team. Of course, they could also pitch in some cash to net a better return.

A secondary motivation for moving Mahle could be to open up a rotation spot. That could open up starts for Carson Whisenhunt or Blade Tidwell to get a better evaluation on either of those pitchers.

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