SF Giants place RHP Alex Cobb on IL, recall RHP Keaton Winn from Triple-A
The SF Giants placed right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain on Sunday, recalling right-handed pitcher Keaton Winn (Giants preseason #18 prospect) from Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. After an excellent start to the season, Cobb has stumbled a bit in his recent starts and has appeared to pitch through some discomfort. Cobb was scheduled to start for the Giants on Monday against the Padres, but manager Gabe Kapler will have to turn to a different arm now. Cobb will be eligible to return on June 29th since the Giants placed him on the injured list retroactive to June 15th.
SF Giants starter Alex Cobb throws a pitch against the Rockies on June 8, 2023.
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Cobb was arguably the most underrated pitcher in MLB early this season, building off his excellent second half in 2022. Despite his recent struggles, Cobb has a 3.09 ERA on the season with 76 strikeouts and just 21 walks in 78.2 innings pitched. Since Cobb was activated from the injured list on June 19th of last year, he ranks 10th in MLB among qualified pitchers in fWAR (4.3), 11th in ERA (3.07), sixth in FIP (3.02), and sixth in xFIP (3.14).
SF Giants pitcher Keaton Winn throws in his MLB debut. (2023)
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Winn made his big-league debut with the Giants last week, allowing one earned run across four innings pitched before he was optioned back to Triple-A. In the highest level of the minors, Winn has appeared in 12 games (nine starts) this season, recording a 4.35 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 21 walks in 41.1 innings pitched. While those numbers may not jump off the page, in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, where the average ERA in the league is 5.96, Winn has been consistently above-average.
The Giants drafted Winn in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Iowa Western Community College and signed him away from a commitment to TCU. In college, Winn had flashed mid-90s velocity and an above-average slider but had been unable to sustain his premium velocity. Since turning pro, however, Winn has developed an excellent splitter that pairs well with a fastball that can reach the high-90s.
It's unclear how the SF Giants plan to replace Alex Cobb's spot in the rotation now that he's landed on the injured list. They could lean on their bullpen, utilizing experienced starters like Keaton Winn, Jakob Junis, Sean Manaea, and Tristan Beck (Giants preseason #19 prospect) to handle bulk innings. With that said, veteran Ross Stripling has begun rehabbing at the Arizona Complex League, and top prospect Kyle Harrison (Giants preseason #1 prospect) has seemed to recently turn a corner at Triple-A.
