The San Francisco Giants bolster their bullpen with a shocking late-season reunion.
The San Francisco Giants made one of the wildest roster moves of the year with just four games remaining in the regular season.
To think Camilo Doval would be on waivers in late September is a sight to behold, but that's exactly what has transpired here in 2026.
San Francisco's pitching staff has been far from great, to say the least, and Blade Tidwell just went down with a major injury that forced him to be shut down for the year.
Upon moving Tidwell to the 60-day Injured List, the Giants decided to put a claim in on Doval, and they successfully claimed him off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Obviously, the Giants have nothing to play for this year, but it'll give Doval a chance to prove himself in up to four more games this season.
Giants claim Doval with the season winding down
To say it's been a whirlwind season for Doval this year would be an understatement. The 29-year-old began his career in San Francisco from 2021-25 before he was traded to the New York Yankees.
Remember, the Giants received prospects Jesús Rodríguez, Trystan Vrieling, Parks Harber, and Carlos De La Rosa in that deal back on July 31, 2025.
Just over one year later, Doval was moved from the Yankees to the Pirates for prospects Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz.
The Pirates went all-in at this year's deadline, but it's a decision that quickly backfired. Even with Paul Skenes and what many believed would be a dominant pitching staff, they quickly fell down the ranks in the National League Central and had to waive the white flag far sooner than expected.
Doval was a 0.3 WAR player in Pittsburgh which was a vast improvement to the -0.8 he was at the start of the year with the Yankees.
Keep in mind, Doval only had one negative WAR season with the Giants and then he went to New York and accumulated -1.1 WAR in 66 appearances.
Here in 2026, Doval has a 4.30 ERA. He's appeared in 64 games, throwing 58.2 innings with a 1.52 WHIP.
Again, other than his one negative WAR season, his WHIP and ERA were nowhere close to those numbers when he was with the Giants.
To say this is going to be a long-term reunion would be a stretch, but for now, it gives Giants fans something to look forward to in these final few games.
