SF Giants relief pitching prospect R.J. Dabovich underwent hip surgery
One of the SF Giants top relief-pitching prospects, right-handed pitcher R.J. Dabovich (Giants preseason #16 prospect), has been on the injured list for some time. A source informed Giants Baseball Insider that he underwent hip surgery earlier this year and has a chance to return to the field in September. Prior to landing on the injured list, Dabovich struggled across four appearances. He surrendered six runs on three hits and six walks in 2.2 innings pitched with three strikeouts.
Dabovich was the Giants fourth-round pick in the pandemic-shortened 2020 MLB Draft out of Arizona State. After two seasons of closing for the Sun Devils, Dabovich hit the ground running when he arrived in the pros. In 2021, Dabovch posted a 2.78 ERA with 62 strikeouts and 13 walks in 32.1 innings pitched (31 games) between High-A and Double-A. Last season, he continued to find success in the upper minors, recording a 3.51 ERA in 45 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.
Early in his tenure with the Giants organization, Dabovich flashed an elite curveball and plus fastball that seemed ready to dominate in the back of a big-league bullpen once he improved his command. However, while his curveball has remained dominant, his fastball lost some of the characteristics that allowed it to play above its mid-90s velocity last season. Perhaps this hip surgery could help him regain some more oomph with his heater.
Regardless of his fastball, Dabovich's curveball should carry him to the majors as at least a middle reliever. Heading into the season, it seemed like Dabovich was a prime candidate to be the first member of the Giants 2020 MLB Draft class to reach the majors. Of course, his injury allowed both Casey Schmitt (Giants preseason #3 prospect) and Patrick Bailey (Giants preseason #21 prospect) to beat him to the bigs. With that said, Dabovich could easily find his way to the majors once he's healthy.
The SF Giants could face an interesting decision with R.J. Dabovich this offseason. If he is not added to the 40-man roster, he will be eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft this winter. Given his track record of production, it's easy to envision a team betting on a strong rebound from surgery. Nevertheless, that would be a moot point if he is able to return to the field before the end of the season and receive his first MLB call-up.
