Giants say reliever Rodriguez needs Tommy John surgery

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez needs Tommy John surgery, the team announced Friday.

Last weekend, the Giants placed Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow sprain. Rodriguez, who turns 26 next week, is 3-5 with a 1.78 ERA in 50 2/3 innings this season. He has four saves and 67 strikeouts with just 11 walks.

“There are days that he’s been sore and we’ve been really careful with him over the course of the season,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said Friday. “It just came to a head now.”

Rodriguez was 3-2 with a 4.30 ERA as a rookie in 2024.

After the Giants dealt Camilo Doval to the New York Yankees on July 31, Rodriguez became San Francisco’s closer. He had three saves in August but also took three losses. The last pitch he threw was hit by Milwaukee’s William Contreras for a walk-off solo homer with two outs in the ninth inning of the Brewers’ 5-4 victory Aug. 22.

Since Rodriguez was placed on the IL, right-hander Ryan Walker has reassumed the closer role he had at the outset of the season.