SF Giants RHP Ross Stripling trying to corral arsenal before he is activated

SF Giants veteran righty Ross Stripling hopes to use his time on the IL to get back to where he wants to be on the mound.
SF Giants RHP Ross Stripling trying to corral arsenal before he is activated
SF Giants RHP Ross Stripling trying to corral arsenal before he is activated /
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The SF Giants could use some reinforcements in the back of their rotation. While it seems like right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling's return from the injured list is not imminent, he believes he is trending in the right direction.

SF Giants starting pitcher Ross Stripling throws against the New York Mets. (April 23, 2023)
SF Giants starting pitcher Ross Stripling throws against the Mets. (2023) / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

"Everything has been mostly fine," Stripling said on Friday. "I could feel better about where I'm at, but everything is definitely getting better. I'm always trying to make sure my arsenal is where I want it because I wasn't killing it before I went on the IL, so you're trying to get to a place where you feel like your stuff is better."

Stripling was placed on the injured list in mid-May with a back injury. After inking a two-year, $25 million contract with the Giants this offseason, Stripling's tenure in San Francisco got off to a rough start. Stripling lost his spot in the starting rotation after a pair of rough outings and had a 7.24 ERA in nine appearances (32.1 innings pitched) before he was placed on the injured list.

In his conversation on Friday, Stripling acknowledged that the back had been bothering him throughout the start of the season and he's hoping to use his time on the injured list to gain a grasp of his pitch arsenal.

"Injury feels good," Stripling added. "Now it's just about getting my mechanics to where I feel like I'm repeating them every time so my stuff is going where it's supposed to."

Stripling has already thrown multiple bullpen sessions, including on Monday and Thursday of this week. He will do another bullpen on Sunday before the team reevaluates his status. Stripling had been hopeful he would be ready for a minor-league rehab assignment by the end of this week, but acknowledged that it's been a slower recovery process than he had hoped. Stripling said he's been working to refine his arsenal, but added that he's dealt with frustration as he's tried to put it all together.

"It seems to be a little hit-and-miss, which is frustrating," Stripling said. "A lot of times it is kind of one pitch, but I'll throw a bullpen, slider will be good, change will be erratic, and the next time the changeup will be money, and the slider will be weird. It's frustrating for sure, but my last one was good, and I have another one on Sunday."

With several pitchers currently out with injuries, the SF Giants could use a healthy Ross Stripling who can match his pre-2023 levels of production. It seems like he could be trending toward a return in the next couple of weeks.


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Marc Delucchi
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).