Weekend BP: Cole Waites undergoes Tommy John surgery

Happy weekend, San Francisco Giants fans. It’s a busy one, with many a baseball game for the Giants to partake in and hopefully win.

Some unfortunate news came from the Giants this week, as they announced that right-handed pitcher Cole Waites underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, which will sideline him until at least the 2025 season. The surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Texas.

It marked an unfortunate end to a tough season for Waites. An 18th-round pick in 2019, the powerful righty made his MLB debut towards the end of the 2022 season, and had the distinction of becoming the first Giants player drafted by Farhan Zaidi to make it to the Majors. It was a spectacular 2022, as Waites began the year in High-A, dominated three levels of Minor League Baseball, and ended the year in the Major League bullpen.

He looked likely to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster before sustaining an injury in Spring Training. From there, his season went in the wrong direction. Waites struggled in AAA Sacramento, where he had poor numbers, looked far worse than last year, and had notably decreased velocity. He also had a very short stint in the Majors.

Waites last pitched in mid-July, before being shut down for the year. It’s unclear when the decision was made that surgery would be the best option.

It’s a mega bummer for a player who looked primed to be a key contributor for the Giants bullpen, but hopefully Waites — who only recently turned 25 — can get back to that level for the 2025 season. That’s assuming he’s still on the team then. Unfortunately MLB’s roster rules will require the Giants to add Waites back to the 40-man roster for offseason, before placing him on the 60-day IL when next season commences. I’m certainly assuming the Giants will do that this offseason and next one, but one never knows for sure.

Heal up, Cole. We’re rooting for you.

What time do the Giants play this weekend?

The Giants and Rockies have a busy weekend. They play a split doubleheader on Saturday, with games at 11:10 a.m. and 5:10 p.m. PT. They conclude the four-game series with a 12:10 p.m. PT game on Sunday.