Rowan Wick Signed as Giants’ Latest Attempt to Improve Bullpen Depth

The San Francisco Giants have signed Rowan Wick, who found renewed success in Japan after falling out of the Major Leagues.

Chicago Cubs' Rowan Wick. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

San Francisco Giants fans can be forgiven for not knowing who Rowan Wick is. He hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2022.

Yet, the Giants signed the right-hander on Friday to a one-year deal with a 2027 club option, based on how he resurrected his career as a reliever in Japan.

To make room for him on the 40-man roster, the Giants put right-handed pitcher Jason Foley on the 60-day injured list. Foley is recovering from shoulder surgery, and it was expected at some point that San Francisco would put him on the injured list.

It's San Francisco's latest attempt to land a low-risk, high-reward pitcher for a bullpen that is still working to determine how they'll replace Randy Rodriguez, who will miss most, if not all, of 2026 after elbow surgery late last season.

About Rowan Wick

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Rowan Wick. | David Banks-Imagn Images

His last Major League season was in 2022 with the Chicago Cubs, when he had a career-high 64 relief appearances and went 4-7 with a 4.22 ERA. He converted 9 of 14 save opportunities, had four holds, and struck out 69 hitters in 64 innings. He also walked 29 and gave up a .305 opponent batting average.

Chicago released him in 2023. After that he signed minor league contracts with Atlanta and Toronto but elected to become a free agent after the season ended. In December of 2023 he signed with the NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The move rejuvenated his career.

In 2024 he went 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 45 innings, as he struck out 50 and recorded one save. Yokohama went on to win the Japan Series. His numbers got even batter in 2025, as he went 4-1 with a 0.84 ERA in 42.2 innings. He struck out 49 and saved five games.

That put him back on the radar of Major League teams. The Giants may have landed a pitcher who has figured out how to be effective in a setup role. The 33-year-old made 146 appearances as a Major League reliever and went 6-10 with a 3.82 ERA. He struck out 160 hitters in 146 innings.

San Francisco is building bullpen options around Ryan Walker, who is hoping to return to the closer role full-time in 2026 after losing the job at times last season. He’s expected to get competition from Erik Miller, who is coming off a solid season as a set-up man with 1.50 ERA in 36 games.

No reliever was more effective for San Francsico last season than Rodriguez, who was named a National League All-Star. The Giants hope to find pitchers like Wick that can plug in and fill that set-up role.