Sam Coonrod placed on IL, Rico Garcia recalled

The San Francisco Giants are making a bullpen move ahead of the penultimate game of the regular season, a vital Saturday evening contest against the San Diego Padres. Right-handed reliever Sam Coonrod has been placed on the Injured List with a right shoulder strain, and fellow right-handed reliever Rico Garcia has been recalled from the Alternate Training Site. Though technically Garcia was not at the Alternate Training Site, as all of the Giants have been in a bubble location at a hotel across from Oracle Park this week.

The news comes a day after Coonrod had a deflating performance. He was given the ball with a 2-run lead in the final inning of Friday night’s game, and allowed a single, a walk, and a walk-off home run.

Manager Gabe Kapler said that Coonrod spoke of shoulder soreness after the appearance.

Whether Coonrod’s shoulder discomfort is strong enough that he would have been placed on the IL under normal circumstances we’ll likely never know. But with the regular season ending on Sunday, the Giants would have preferred a fresh arm anyway. Had they merely optioned Coonrod, Garcia would not have been eligible to take his place, since he was only optioned eight days ago.

Placement on the IL expires when the regular season ends, so even though Coonrod is technically on the 10-day IL, he’ll be eligible to make the Giants postseason roster, should the Giants earn one of the Wild Card spots.

Coonrod’s second professional season had an ugly ending, and he finishes with a 9.82 ERA, a 4.75 FIP, and 15 strikeouts to 7 walks in 14.2 innings.

Garcia — who was recalled for the third time this month, and will have his fourth stint with the team this season — has an ERA of 5.40, an FIP of 4.28, and 7 strikeouts to 4 walks in 10 innings.