Giants Break Another Bullpen Arm: Keaton Winn Hits IL With Elbow Neuritis
Manager Tony Vitello said Winn felt some elbow soreness when he played catch on Saturday and underwent an MRI exam.
The ' bullpen is officially a hazard zone. Keaton Winn is heading to the injured list with elbow neuritis, adding another arm to a medical ward that is starting to look like a triage tent.
Manager Tony Vitello leaned on Winn heavily this season, and the bill just came due. After pitching three consecutive days and blowing a save against the Washington Nationals, Winn's elbow finally barked.
Winn has been an absolute workhorse, logging a 3.23 ERA over 30 2/3 innings across 29 appearances. That ties him for the team lead in appearances alongside Caleb Kilian and Matt Gage.
But when you ride a guy who missed all of 2021 with Tommy John surgery and had an ulnar nerve transposition in 2024, you are playing with fire.
Treating a reliever with that kind of surgical history like a rented mule is a choice. It is the managerial equivalent of taking a car with a rebuilt transmission to a drag race and acting surprised when it starts smoking at the starting line.
For anyone looking at the ' upcoming series against the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox, this is a massive red flag for the late innings. San Francisco just dropped back-to-back games to Cleveland, including a brutal 1-0 shutout, and now they have to navigate the late frames without one of their most reliable high-leverage options.
Vitello is hoping a handful of days off will serve as a reset, but elbow neuritis is rarely a quick fix for a guy with this much scar tissue. Expect the to scramble for bullpen depth before things get completely out of hand in Boston this weekend.