Giants option Walker, Santos to Sacramento after bullpen struggles

A 13-3 loss to Pittsburgh turned into a bullpen reset, and Ryan Walker and Gregory Santos were the ones sent down to Triple-A Sacramento as the Giants tried to stop the bleeding and find fresher late-inning answers.

The move came Sunday before the series finale against the Pirates, with San Francisco at 15-24 and tied for the worst record in the National League. Walker and Santos were optioned while left-hander Sam Hentges came off the injured list and right-hander Dylan Smith was added from Sacramento, a shuffle that immediately changed the bullpen pecking order and gave the River Cats a bigger role as a holding ground for the next call-up.

Walker’s fall was the most striking. He opened the season as the Giants’ primary closer after leading the club with 17 saves in 2025, but he had given up a run in four straight appearances and was carrying a 6.46 ERA when the team made the move. Over his previous 3 1/3 innings, Walker allowed seven runs, nine hits and four walks, and he had blown two saves. He briefly steadied the ninth inning with back-to-back saves against the Dodgers in late April, but the next road trip sent him back into turbulence. In Sacramento, Walker’s immediate task is to regain the command that made him San Francisco’s most trusted late-inning option a year ago.

Santos was pushed out with him after taking the loss Saturday night, when he allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings against Pittsburgh. That outing left the Giants with little choice after a game that exposed how quickly a shaky bullpen can turn a winnable stretch into a roster decision. Sacramento now becomes more than a soft landing for Santos. It is a short-term proving ground where he has to show he can hold an inning, keep traffic off the bases and get back into the conversation for leverage work.

Hentges gives San Francisco a very different look. The veteran southpaw had missed nearly 22 months because of injuries and had not pitched in the majors since July 10, 2024, before shoulder surgery and later knee surgery slowed his comeback. Smith, acquired from the Detroit Tigers, had posted a 2.13 ERA in nine relief appearances with Sacramento and arrived with a chance to make an immediate impression.

The Giants have been churning through options all month, including the earlier promotion of Bryce Eldridge and the trade of Patrick Bailey to Cleveland. For Walker and Santos, Sacramento is not the end of the line. It is where the next bullpen answer may be waiting.