The Giants get some good news about pitcher Logan Webb's injury

Dr. Marc Safran of Stanford Medical spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area about San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb’s right knee injury

Mar 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb was placed on the injured list on May 9 with swelling in his right knee. It appeared that it was a minor tweak, and manager Tony Vitello originally thought Webb wouldn't miss any starts. However, medical testing provided enough evidence for the team to take a precaustionary stance with the 29-year-old veteran pitcher.

On Wednesday, Dr. Marc Safran, M.D of Stanford Medical, provided an update on Webb's status to NBC Sports Bay Area's Taylor Wirth. The physician discussed the injury and its effect on Webb's mechanics.

"Bursitis stands for inflammation, if you will," Safran said. "It's inflammation of the bursae. A bursae is kind of like a water balloon that has a little bit of fluid in it, kind of like oily fluid that lets the tendon or soft tissue slide past the bone without undue friction. So it just kind of helps it glide around, and sometimes it can get inflamed from any number of causes and the inflammation is the bursitis that causes some pain and some swelling."

Stanford Medicine's Marc Safran, M.D. spoke to @WirthTM about the severity of Logan Webb's right knee bursitis injuryhttps://t.co/MpNLUKQWtt

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 13, 2026

The doctor further explained how the injury affects the Giants' starter during his motion and delivery.

"There's a lot of different bursae around the body, there's like 11 around the knee itself, it's unclear which one is the one that's bothering him, but certainly anything that causes pain that's going to limit his ability to push off hard on that leg is going to have a lot of affect, because all the power, all the strength in his pitches comes from the lower body, comes from that drive leg," Safran detailed.

"So if he has something that's limiting his ability to generate power in the leg, either pain or something else, then he can't throw as hard or drive as hard off that leg, which will put more stress on other parts of the body, and that's where you end up having problems with the shoulder or elbow, trying to compensate for that lower-extremity weakness. It's very important to make sure that the leg is not hurting so they can drive off normally to throw with normal mechanics."

When will Webb return?

Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Webb, who has gone 2-4 with a 5.06 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts in 48.0 innings pitched this season, is expected to be back the San Francisco Giants' rotation when first eligible on May 21, 2026. The righty commented on his impending return and why he feels he will be back to form quickly.

"I’ll get a little break and come back refreshed,” Webb said. “Hopefully I’ll be a little better once that heals and I come back.”