SF Giants place RHP Alex Cobb on IL, recall RHP Keaton Winn from Triple-A

The SF Giants have lost Alex Cobb, one of their top starters, for at least two weeks, after placing him on the injured list. They also recalled Keaton Winn.

Marc Delucchi | Jun 18, 2023

SF Giants place RHP Alex Cobb on IL, recall RHP Keaton Winn from Triple-A /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants placed right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain on Sunday, recalling right-handed pitcher Keaton Winn (Giants preseason #18 prospect) from Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. After an excellent start to the season, Cobb has stumbled a bit in his recent starts and has appeared to pitch through some discomfort. Cobb was scheduled to start for the Giants on Monday against the Padres, but manager Gabe Kapler will have to turn to a different arm now. Cobb will be eligible to return on June 29th since the Giants placed him on the injured list retroactive to June 15th.

SF Giants starter Alex Cobb throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies on June 8, 2023. — SF Giants starter Alex Cobb throws a pitch against the Rockies on June 8, 2023 / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Cobb was arguably the most underrated pitcher in MLB early this season, building off his excellent second half in 2022. Despite his recent struggles, Cobb has a 3.09 ERA on the season with 76 strikeouts and just 21 walks in 78.2 innings pitched. Since Cobb was activated from the injured list on June 19th of last year, he ranks 10th in MLB among qualified pitchers in fWAR (4.3), 11th in ERA (3.07), sixth in FIP (3.02), and sixth in xFIP (3.14).

SF Giants relief pitcher Keaton Winn pitches in his Major League debut against the St. Louis Cardinals (2023) — SF Giants pitcher Keaton Winn throws in his MLB debut. (2023) / Jeff Curry - USA TODAY Sports

Winn made his big-league debut with the Giants last week, allowing one earned run across four innings pitched before he was optioned back to Triple-A. In the highest level of the minors, Winn has appeared in 12 games (nine starts) this season, recording a 4.35 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 21 walks in 41.1 innings pitched. While those numbers may not jump off the page, in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, where the average ERA in the league is 5.96, Winn has been consistently above-average.

The Giants drafted Winn in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Iowa Western Community College and signed him away from a commitment to TCU. In college, Winn had flashed mid-90s velocity and an above-average slider but had been unable to sustain his premium velocity. Since turning pro, however, Winn has developed an excellent splitter that pairs well with a fastball that can reach the high-90s.

It's unclear how the SF Giants plan to replace Alex Cobb's spot in the rotation now that he's landed on the injured list. They could lean on their bullpen, utilizing experienced starters like Keaton Winn, Jakob Junis, Sean Manaea, and Tristan Beck (Giants preseason #19 prospect) to handle bulk innings. With that said, veteran Ross Stripling has begun rehabbing at the Arizona Complex League, and top prospect Kyle Harrison (Giants preseason #1 prospect) has seemed to recently turn a corner at Triple-A.

Published Jun 18, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).