What Does Future Hold for High-Upside, Injury Prone San Francisco Giants Pitcher?

A young San Francisco Giants pitcher's future is up in the air after suffering a serious injury.

July 15, 2011; San Diego, CA, USA; General view of a San Francisco Giants logo on the sleeve of right fielder Nate Schierholtz (12) during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The future looks to be quite bright for the San Francisco Giants when it comes to their starting rotation.

Their ace Logan Webb turns only 28 years old later this year. Kyle Harrison, who turned 23 years old, pitched in his first full MLB season. Hayden Birdsong, another highly-touted youngster who turned 23 in August, also made his professional debut in 2024.

Those three should be the core of the Giants’ starting rotation for years to come. Keaton Winn and Jordan Hicks, who both haven’t hit their primes but struggle with injuries, could factor into the mix as well.

Another player worth keeping an eye on heading into the offseason is Reggie Crawford.

A first-round pick, No. 30 overall, out of the University of Connecticut in the 2023 MLB Draft, he looked to be on the fast track to the Majors. He recorded 30 strikeouts in 18.1 innings with a 2.95 ERA and 1.091 WHIP.

His stuff is electric, but his ability to stay on the mound is concerning. The last appearance he made this season was June 5th as he tore the labrum in his left shoulder and it required surgery in September.

The timetable recovery for such an injury is normally 10-12 months, which means we may not see him on the mound in 2025. What could the future hold for the San Francisco young pitcher?

A new franchise, potentially.

“Crawford previously missed time while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and has logged only 37 1/3 innings since turning pro, so it remains to be seen how his latest setback will affect his possible trajectory with the Giants, especially since he'll be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft next offseason,” wrote Maria Guardado of MLB.com.

Someone with his upside, even potentially on the injured list for an entire season, is exactly the kind of player that teams target in the Rule 5 Draft. He has elite tools, it is just a matter of whether or not he can stay healthy.

Turning only 24 in December, he should have a lot of baseball left to play. But, there is certainly some concern now that he has suffered multiple major injuries to his throwing arm.

While the franchise he will be pitching for is up in the air currently, one thing is for certain; he will almost certainly spend all of 2025 rehabbing with an eye toward returning to the mound in 2026.