SF Giants hard-throwing reliever undergoes Tommy John surgery

The SF Giants will likely be without hard-throwing reliever Cole Waites for the entire 2024 season after he underwent the second UCL surgery of his career.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 13, 2023

SF Giants hard-throwing reliever undergoes Tommy John surgery /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants announced on Wednesday that right-handed relief pitcher Cole Waites (preseason Giants #26 prospect) has undergone reconstructive surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow (a.k.a Tommy John surgery). His rehab timeline is expected to keep him off the field for 12-16 months, making it likely that he will miss the entire 2024 season. This is Waites' second-career UCL surgery.

SF Giants relief pitcher Cole Waites throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (2022) — SF Giants reliever Cole Waites throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (2022) / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The news caps off a rough season for Waites, who was expected to be a key contributor in the Giants bullpen this season. He ultimately made just three MLB appearances this season, allowing five runs across 2.1 innings pitched. He also struggled at Triple-A, posting a 6.16 ERA with 27 walks and 32 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched (32 appearances).

Waites made his big-league debut with the Giants last season and became the first player drafted under amateur scouting director Michael Holmes to reach the majors with the Giants. San Francisco had selected Waites in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of West Alabama.

Waites had first undergone UCL surgery in 2019 and did not return to the mound until more than halfway through the 2021 season. However, once he did, he dominated the lower minors.

In 2022, Waites shot through the minor leagues, racking up 76 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A with a 1.94 ERA. After receiving his call up in September, he made seven appearances and allowed just two runs in 5.2 innings.

The timing of Waites' injury could spell trouble for his status on the 40-man roster. San Francisco would be able to place him on the 60-day injured list next season, but that is not available to teams during the offseason. With Waites unlikely to contribute until 2025, he could be a non-tender candidate the SF Giants attempt to re-sign on a two-year minor league contract.

Published Sep 13, 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).