Giants Free Agent Signing Suffers Setback in Injury Recovery

One key bullpen addition brought in by the San Francisco Giants this offseason has yet to pitch a game for the franchise, and faces another minor setback in his recovery.

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello (23) walks in the dugout. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants' bullpen could use an arm to help the cause right now, as the franchise looks to inch back into competitiveness in the National League.

Holding a bullpen ERA of 4.18 in 2026 so far, San Francisco is awaiting the debut of one of their bigger offseason signings.

Nine days ahead of Christmas 2025, the Giants announced that they signed relief pitcher Jason Foley on a one-year, $2 million deal for the 2026 campaign. The Giants were taking a chance on signing Foley as he missed the 2025 campaign entirely due to surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder.

While Foley might not be a closer for San Francisco when he eventually makes his season debut, he is another arm with a strong track record that can help the Giants secure some extra wins. However, in this recent update, Foley's return to the mound has hit a wall.

Foley Shut Down Until Weekend

Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Jason Foley throws during spring training. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As reported by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, the former Detroit Tiger was pulled back from his rehab assignment, prolonging his return to an MLB mound longer than what the Giants franchise thought when they signed him this winter. Foley is suffering from shoulder fatigue and San Francisco wants to slow his rehab assignment so his shoulder can catch up. Pavlovic reported that Foley could return to throwing this weekend.

In his MLB career, Foley has been one of the better relief pitchers in the last four years, holding a career ERA of 3.16 in 199.2 innings of work. His 150 strikeouts and 1.237 WHIP will come in handy for the Giants when he does eventually make his return to his rehab, looking to ramp back up his fastball velocity.

MLB.com's Maria Guardado reported that San Francisco signed Foley with the expectation of him returning to the big leagues by midseason, and right now, while giving him time to rest and recover, this setback could come back to bite the Giants if he doesn't pitch in 2026.

While the contract was cheap, Foley's future rests on his returning and proving he still has what it takes to be a big league pitcher. If he returns to pitching activities at full strength in his rehab, it shouldn't be too much longer before the Giants have another arm to select from in the bullpen.