San Francisco Giants' Blade Tidwell is expected to undergo surgery after an MRI revealed a moderate to high-grade UCL sprain in his right elbow.
The San Francisco Giants could be without one of their young starting pitchers for a significant portion of the 2027 season after Blade Tidwell was diagnosed with a right elbow injury that is expected to require surgery.
An MRI on Tuesday revealed that Tidwell suffered a moderate to high-grade sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 25-year-old right-hander is expected to undergo a procedure to repair the ligament after meeting with Giants team doctor Ken Akizuki.
Tidwell said he could still seek a second opinion before moving forward with a treatment plan.
Tidwell injury happened against Twins
The injury occurred during Monday’s 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins at Oracle Park. Tidwell appeared to be cruising through the first three innings before giving up a leadoff home run to Brooks Lee in the fourth.
Two batters later, Tidwell threw a sweeper that bounced in front of Ryan Jeffers. He immediately motioned toward the dugout, prompting a visit from Giants trainer Ryo Watanabe. Tidwell was removed after throwing just 57 pitches.
The diagnosis delivered the following day confirmed the seriousness of the issue.
Tommy John surgery has become an increasingly familiar setback for pitchers, and the Giants have already dealt with several major elbow injuries this season. Hayden Birdsong, Trevor McDonald and Carson Whisenhunt have all undergone Tommy John surgery in 2026.
Tidwell’s potential surgery would add another young arm to that list and leave San Francisco with another significant question surrounding its rotation heading into the offseason.
Tidwell had only recently established himself as a regular member of the Giants’ starting rotation following the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. His season included some inconsistency, but there were also encouraging signs as he gained experience at the major-league level.
Giants pitcher's best outing
His strongest performance came Sept. 15 against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he allowed two runs across a career-high 6.2 innings at Busch Stadium.
Overall, Tidwell recorded a 4.45 ERA in 17 appearances, including nine starts, for San Francisco this season.
Despite the difficult ending, Tidwell said he felt he had made meaningful progress toward the end of his rookie campaign.
The Giants will now have to account for Tidwell’s absence while evaluating their options for 2027. Logan Webb and Landen Roupp currently project as the club’s clearest returning rotation pieces, while Adrian Houser remains under contract despite finishing the season with a right flexor strain.
San Francisco also has several younger pitchers who could compete for opportunities, including Anthony Molina, Cesar Perdomo, Yunior Marte and Matt Wilkinson.
Tidwell’s injury makes that competition even more important.
The Giants have already seen their pitching depth tested throughout 2026, and Tidwell’s potential surgery adds another offseason decision to an organization that will need to determine how aggressively it addresses the rotation.
For Tidwell, however, the focus now shifts away from next season and toward recovering from the injury.
After taking an encouraging step forward in his first extended opportunity as a major-league starter, he will have to begin that progression again from the sidelines.
