Giants Reliever to Undergo Surgery for Blood Clot After Going on Injured List

This San Francisco Giants reliever is likely to be out for some time after surgery to remove a blood clot from his arm.

The San Francisco Giants logo on the sleeve of a player's jersey. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants announced on Friday that reliever José Buttó will undergo a procedure to remove a blood clot from his pitching arm.

Shayna Rubin of The San Francisco Chronicle on X (formerly Twitter) were among those to report the announcement.

Buttó was moved to the 15-day injured list on Thursday after he left Wednesday’s game with right arm tightness. The Giants called up Blake Tidwell, who recorded his first Major League save on Thursday night against the New York Mets.

José Buttó’s Season So Far

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jose Butto. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

There was no additional reporting on prognosis or timeline to recovery. The blood clot was discovered by follow-up testing.

During his time with reporters on Thursday, manager Tony Vitello said the Giants were hopeful that Buttó would only need the 15 days on the injured list. That was before Friday’s diagnosis.

Before the injury, he appeared in three games and had an ERA of 22.50. However, most of that was during his Wednesday outing against the Padres that led to the IL assignment. He experienced a drop in velocity during the outing and only recorded one out. He gave up three hits, four earned runs and four walks. His only out recorded was a strikeout.

Oddly enough, Buttó joined the Giants last July in a trade that also brought the franchise Tidwell. The pair, along with outfielder Drew Gilbert, were acquired from the Mets for reliever Tyler Rogers, who is now with the Toronto Blue Jays. Buttó was the first of the three to play in the Majors for the Giants, as he made an immediate impact on the bullpen last season. Gilbert was called up last August but is back in the minors at Triple-A Sacramento.

Last year with the Mets and the Giants he went 5-3 with a. 23.90 ERA in 55 games. He struck out 58 and walked 32 in 67 innings. He had six holds and one save in five chances.

This likely means that Tidwell will have more runway to prove he can be an asset to the bullpen. Drafted as a starter out of Tennessee in 2022, he made four starts with the Mets last season before he was traded. He spent time on the Triple-A injured list with the Giants after four appearances.

He was among a group of starters that attempted to unseat fifth starter Landen Roupp to no avail. He pitched three innings of scoreless relief on Thursday to record a save and has the length to be a spot starter if needed. The Giants continue their series with the Mets through Sunday.