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Birdsong was diagnosed with a Grade 2 forearm strain and UCL sprain after undergoing an MRI on Sunday and will meet with Dr. Keith Meister for a second opinion, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that the right-hander was headed for a second opinion on his arm injury, and that certainly makes sense given the initial diagnosis. Birdsong is weighing the treatment options, and surgery is likely to be on the table.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Getting second opinion
Rotowire
Birdsong is getting a second opinion on the forearm discomfort he is dealing with, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Birdsong said he hopes to only miss weeks with the issue, but a second opinion is typically reserved for when surgery has been recommended, so this is an ominous sign. The 24-year-old righty had given up eight runs while walking three batters and striking out two in 2.1 innings this spring, but he says his arm felt fine prior to Tuesday, so the injury isn't to blame for his poor results.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Being evaluated for elbow injury
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Birdsong is being evaluated for an elbow injury Thursday, Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The nature of Birdsong's injury isn't clear, so it's unknown if this will be a long-term issue for the 24-year-old right-hander. He has been roughed up this spring, allowing eight earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and three walks across 2.1 innings. Even prior to the injury, Birdsong was viewed as a long shot to open the season in the Giants' rotation.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Struggles in Cactus League opener
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Birdsong allowed five earned runs on three hits, including a home run, and two walks across one-third of an inning during Saturday's 10-5 Cactus League win over the Mariners.
Birdsong started Saturday's matchup and immediately surrendered two singles and a walk before giving up a grand slam to Miles Mastrobuoni. After opening the 2025 campaign as a reliever and joining the rotation in mid-May, Birdsong was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento in July and never returned to the majors. The right-hander is expected to compete for a bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Working on mechanics this offseason
Rotowire
Birdsong has been working on staying more upright with his delivery this offseason as he looks to improve his command, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
In his first 16 appearances (five starts) last season, Birdsong collected a 2.79 ERA and 51:19 K:BB over 48.1 innings. He then posted a 10.38 ERA and 17:18 K:BB over his next five outings, got optioned to Triple-A Sacramento and never returned to the majors. Birdsong believes he was "over-bending," which made his arm slot rise and the movement on his pitches get out of whack. The 24-year-old is pleased with his mechanical work over the winter, and he's also tentatively planning to pitch exclusively from the stretch in 2026 after he used a windup in 2025 for the first time since college. There's currently not room for Birdsong in the Giants' rotation, and he's had trouble throwing strikes both in the majors (13.1 percent walk rate) and minors (11.3 percent walk rate). However, with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate in the majors and 32.3 percent strikeout rate in the minors, Birdsong could still have upside if he's able to get his walk rate to an acceptable level.
Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Sent down after disastrous start
Rotowire
The Giants optioned Birdsong to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The transaction comes one day after Birdsong failed to record an out while allowing five runs on one hit and four walks in a loss to Atlanta. The disastrous outing was more than just a one-start blip for the righty, as Birdsong had collected a 10.38 ERA and 17:18 K:BB across 17.1 innings covering his last five outings. Carson Seymour has been recalled from Sacramento and could take Birdsong's spot in the rotation, with Mason Black and Carson Whisenhunt also representing options.
Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Fails to record an out Monday
Rotowire
Birdsong (4-4) suffered the loss Monday at Atlanta, allowing five runs on one hit, four walks and a hit-by-pitch while not retiring any of the six batters he faced.
This was a disastrous outing for the 23-year-old, as he completely lost his sense of the strike zone, firing just six strikes out of 25 total pitches. Entering this contest, Birdsong has issued four or more free passes in each of his previous three appearances, over which he produced a 7.62 ERA across 13 innings. This poor performance ballooned Birdsong's ERA from 4.11 to 4.80 over 65.2 total innings. The Giants had already skipped a rotation turn for the young right-hander prior to the All-Star break, as his last start came July 6, signaling the team was already considering a relief role for him. Birdsong is currently scheduled to make his next start against the Mets at home this weekend, but it would not be surprising to see the Giants either move him to the bullpen or demote him following this calamitous performance.
Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Won't get start this week
Rotowire
Birdsong isn't scheduled to make a start during the Giants' three-game series with the Dodgers this weekend, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The Giants will take advantage of an off day Thursday to realign their rotation, resulting in Birdsong's turn being skipped while Landen Roupp and Robbie Ray both make their second starts of the week Saturday and Sunday, respectively. According to Rubin, manager Bob Melvin said that Birdsong will be available out of the bullpen for the series against Los Angeles before slotting back into the rotation following the All-Star break. Since moving into the San Francisco rotation May 20, Birdsong has gone 3-3 with a 5.10 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 43:23 K:BB in 42.1 innings over his nine starts.
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Giants' Hayden Birdsong: Gets away with wildness in win
Rotowire
Birdsong (4-3) allowed one run on three hits and five walks while striking out six over five innings to earn the win Sunday over the Athletics.
Birdsong continues to have trouble with walks, but the Athletics weren't able to punish him for it. This ended a stretch of five starts without a win for the right-hander -- a span in which he had a 7.54 ERA over 22.2 innings. He's at a 4.11 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 68:33 K:BB across 65.2 innings through 20 appearances (nine starts) this season. Birdsong is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Dodgers, who figure to be much more capable of capitalizing if his command is lacking.
Birdsong (3-3) allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and four walks while striking out six over four innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Diamondbacks.
Birdsong has failed to complete five innings in four of his last five outings. He's also walked four or more batters in three of those starts, and he hasn't pitched well enough to limit the damage when his control is off. He's fortunate to have just two losses in that stretch, but he's looking a bit outmatched as a starter at this point in the year. Birdsong has a 4.30 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 62:28 K:BB through 60.2 innings across 19 appearances (eight starts) overall, but his ERA as a starter is at a less pleasant 5.54 through 37.1 frames. He is tentatively projected for a road start versus the Athletics this weekend.
