Winn (right elbow strain) heads to IL as Giants recall Beck

SAN FRANCISCO -- Less than a week after pitching in three consecutive games for the first time this season, Giants reliever Keaton Winn landed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain.

Right-hander Tristan Beck was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday to replace Winn, who hadn’t pitched since Monday, when he blew a save against the Nationals after giving up three runs over two-thirds of an inning in his third straight day of work.

Manager Tony Vitello said Winn felt some elbow soreness when he played catch on Saturday and underwent an MRI exam, though the Giants weren’t overly concerned with the results. Vitello said he’s hoping Winn will be shut down for only a “handful” of days before resuming throwing.

“It’s probably best for him to get a reset here,” Vitello said. “I think he's in a fairly good spot. I think, more than anything, mentally, he's a little frustrated. He wants to be out there.”

Still, Winn has dealt with several arm injuries before, most notably missing the entire 2021 campaign while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He also landed on the IL twice with elbow issues in 2024, when he ended up undergoing a season-ending ulnar nerve transposition procedure, and dealt with shoulder inflammation at Triple-A Sacramento last season.

The Giants moved Winn to a relief role to try to keep him healthy this year, but they ended up leaning on him heavily in the bullpen, where he logged a 3.23 ERA over 30 2/3 innings in 29 appearances, tied with newly named closer Caleb Kilian and left-hander Matt Gage for the most on the team.

Vitello acknowledged that Winn was slower to bounce back at times, noting that “part of it is the nature of the split-finger [fastball], to be honest with you.” Even so, Vitello said he doesn’t have any regrets about the 28-year-old’s usage last week.

The Giants have daily pregame meetings to discuss which relievers are available, and Vitello said Winn didn’t have any qualms about potentially pitching for the third straight day on Monday, even with the tight turnaround from the club’s Sunday night game in Chicago the previous day.

“I think, more than anything, we just wish we would have done anything different to win the game,” Vitello said. “Anytime we’ve got a guy that's available down there, it means he's available to go and feels good to go.

“There's been days where he's come in the office and has said he's not available and doesn’t feel his best, so we've stayed away from him. But like I said, anything from that game, as far as memories go or playing Monday morning quarterback is we would have liked to have done something different to win the game.”

Losing Winn will thin the back end of the Giants’ bullpen, but the unit should get a boost once Gage is ready to come off the IL. Gage has been out since June 1 with right knee inflammation, but he tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings in his first rehab appearance with Single-A San Jose on Saturday and could be activated when the Giants head to Atlanta to face the Braves this week.