Giants Prospect Hayden Birdsong Faces Elbow Soreness, Tests Pending

Hayden Birdsong was touching 99.6 mph and working a scoreless inning against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday when the discomfort in his right elbow cut the outing short. Two days later, manager Tony Vitello confirmed the 24-year-old right-hander would be evaluated by team doctors, with tests pending to determine the severity.

Vitello spoke after San Francisco's 3-3 tie with the Chicago White Sox at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday night. He said he had caught up with Birdsong before that game and that the pitcher had no known elbow issues heading into Tuesday's appearance.

"I think he's getting looked at from some soreness," Vitello said. "We're trying to get it looked at and see what's going on. I don't think he had anything going on before that."

The timing is a blow to Birdsong's chances of making the Opening Day roster. He had entered camp as a genuine bullpen candidate, viewed in part as someone who could help address what NBC Sports Bay Area described as "the clear weak spot on the roster." But three Cactus League appearances that produced eight runs over just 2 1/3 innings, a 30.86 ERA, had already pushed him behind Blade Tidwell, Carson Whisenhunt, and Trevor McDonald in the competition for relief spots. McDonald, who carries a 1.80 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 10 innings this spring, had emerged as the favorite among that group before Thursday's game.

Vitello indicated the team would not take any chances with the young pitcher regardless of what tests reveal.

"Obviously on a personal level you want what's best for each one of these guys," Vitello said. "He's one that everyone has gotten close to because of his likability, coachability and his talent, but as of right now it's out of my hands. I'm not a (medical) expert."

The stakes extend beyond this spring. Birdsong's 2025 season traced a sharp arc: a 2.31 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 23 1/3 innings in his first 11 relief appearances gave way to a 6.17 ERA and 27 walks over 42 1/3 innings across 10 rotation starts, ultimately landing him at Triple-A Sacramento for the final two months of the season. The Giants had hoped 2026 camp would be his reset.

No diagnosis or imaging results had been released as of Friday, and no roster moves were announced. The severity of the injury remains unknown while the organization awaits results of the full medical evaluation.