Giants Sign Veteran Left-Hander Ryan Borucki to One-Year Deal

Six scoreless innings, eight strikeouts, and a 2-0 spring record were enough to make Ryan Borucki one of the most coveted relievers available heading into Opening Day. The San Francisco Giants wasted no time, announcing a one-year Major League deal with the veteran left-hander on Saturday out of Scottsdale, with a corresponding roster move that placed Hayden Birdsong on the 60-day injured list as he prepares for Tommy John surgery that will cost him the entire 2026 season.

Borucki, who turns 32 on March 31, had drawn interest from more than half the league earlier this winter before signing a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox. He dominated Cactus League hitters across six outings but was not named to Chicago's Opening Day roster and was released Friday. By Saturday, San Francisco had him under contract.

The numbers that made Borucki attractive, particularly to a Giants club desperate for left-handed relief depth, go beyond his spring performance. Left-handed hitters managed just 7 hits in 60 at-bats against him in 2025, a matchup advantage that scouts tend to prize deeply in late-inning situations. Over the full season, Borucki posted a 4.63 ERA with 32 strikeouts across 35 innings and 39 appearances, splitting time between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays with a combined 1-3 record. His career numbers across eight seasons with the Blue Jays, Pirates and Seattle Mariners stand at 15-12 with a 4.28 ERA over 187 games and 21 starts.

The signing addresses what had become a genuine vulnerability in San Francisco's pitching staff. Sam Hentges never threw a Cactus League inning after struggling to recover from left shoulder surgery in September 2024. Reiver Sanmartin is expected to miss up to three months after suffering a right hip flexor strain while pitching for Team Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. Erik Miller, projected as the bullpen's primary left-hander, was slowed by back tightness this spring, though he made his third Cactus League appearance in the Giants' 10-7 win over the Guardians at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday and remains on track for Opening Night.

Borucki slots in as the projected second lefty behind Miller. His arrival does complicate the roster picture for fellow southpaw Matt Gage, who is out of options and has put together a sharp spring with a 2.84 ERA across seven Cactus League outings. The Giants also re-signed Joey Lucchesi to a minor-league deal earlier this month, though Lucchesi has made only three appearances, allowing one run in three innings.

Birdsong's move to the 60-day injured list, while opening the roster spot that made the Borucki signing possible, is a significant loss for a Giants rotation that will have to replace his innings elsewhere. The club cleared that paperwork Saturday as spring training gave way to the final countdown toward Opening Day.