Giants Notes: Keaton Winn Hits IL with Elbow Sprain After Carrying Heavy Load

The decision to use Keaton Winn for a third straight game looked bad in the moment last Monday night, and it looked even worse a few days later.

Winn landed on the IL on Sunday morning with a right elbow sprain after not pitching since Monday, a 4-3 loss in which he gave up three runs in the ninth.

Manager Tony Vitello pointed to the overall outcome after being asked if he had any regrets about the situation.

'I think more than anything, we just wish we would've done anything differently to win the game,' Vitello said.

'Any time we've got a guy that's available down there, it means he's available to go, and feels good to go. There have been days when he's come in the office and said, 'I'm not available, and I don't feel my best,' and we've stayed away from him. But anything from that game, as far as memories go or playing Monday morning quarterback, it's that we would've liked to have done something different to win the game.'

The Giants tried to use Winn to clinch a win, but he didn't pitch the next three games and was sore while playing catch on Friday.

Following an MRI that came back relatively clean, the team hopes Winn's IL stint will be a short one.

Winn had Tommy John surgery in the minors and underwent surgery on his ulnar nerve in 2024. He dealt with shoulder issues last season, but he had a healthy offseason and hadn't had any injury concerns until this week.

'I know he's frustrated because he wants to pitch,' Vitello said. 'It's probably best for him to get a reset here.'

Left-hander Matt Gage pitched 1 2/3 innings for the San Jose Giants on Saturday and came out of it feeling good. Gage had missed 12 games with knee inflammation, but Vitello said it won't be long before he's back on the active roster.

The Giants don't intend to carry four left-handed relievers again, which will mean someone is headed back to Triple-A.

Tyler Mahle was supposed to make a rehab appearance Sunday, but the River Cats got rained out.

The upcoming series against the Atlanta Braves will be a notable one for Vitello, who said his parents are flying in from St. Louis and he expects to see plenty of friends and former players.

'I think there will be a lot of people from Tennessee that I'm familiar with that will be around the area,' Vitello said.