All-Star closer among Giants’ AFL contingent

This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LOS ANGELES -- A familiar face will headline the contingent of players who will represent the Giants at the Arizona Fall League this year.

All-Star closer Randy Rodríguez, who has spent the entire season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, will pitch for the Scottsdale Scorpions, giving him a chance to return to game action for the first time since last August.

Rodríguez will suit up in the desert alongside seven other Giants prospects: outfielder Dakota Jordan (San Francisco’s No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline); infielders Kaeden Kent (No. 20) and Dalton Wentz; and right-handers Miguel Mendez (No. 16), Alexander Fuentes (No. 26), Drake George and Darien Smith.

General manager Zack Minasian said the idea for the Fall League assignment came from Rodríguez himself, as the 27-year-old right-hander wanted to get on the mound in a competitive setting before making his big league comeback with the Giants next year.

“He passed basically everything you could pass medically,” Minasian said Friday. “He's been throwing ‘pens. The other thing that encouraged us as much as anything was Randy really wants to do it. I think him getting out there and getting some innings under his belt will give him peace of mind going in the offseason. It's always nice to watch Randy pitch. We were very fully supportive.”

Rodríguez enjoyed a breakout season for the Giants last year, when he earned his first career All-Star nod after logging a 1.78 ERA with 67 strikeouts over 50 2/3 innings. He became San Francisco’s closer after Camilo Doval was dealt to the Yankees at the 2025 Trade Deadline, but he ended up suffering a right elbow sprain that forced him to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery last September.

Rodríguez’s high-octane stuff has been badly missed by the Giants, who have struggled to find reliable back-end options for their bullpen this year. San Francisco’s relievers rank 19th in the Majors with a 4.19 ERA, with twelve different pitchers recording at least one save for the club in 2026.

The Giants plan to be on the market for bullpen help this offseason, but Rodríguez’s return should go a long way toward stabilizing a group that has experienced a ton of roster churn as of late.

“Obviously, I think it's an area we've talked about a lot that is going to have to improve,” Minasian said. “It’s certainly something we'll focus on outside of the organization, but we're going to need some improvement from inside, as well. I think one of the big hopes with someone like Randy is he's been out there and he's done it before. He made the All-Star team as a reliever at a very young age, so the ability's still there. Having that type of arm at the back end, it's just such a difference-maker.”

While Rodríguez emerged as one of the most dominant relievers in the National League last year, the Giants know they’ll have to temper their expectations for him in 2027, as pitchers often experience ups and downs in their first year back from Tommy John surgery.

“I think it's probably the responsible thing to do,” Minasian said. “You certainly hope and believe that he can come back and pitch well. But maybe not overload him and put so much weight on his shoulders, especially earlier in the year when maybe there's still some things he's getting a feel for. My guess is that's part of the reason why Randy wants to throw in the Fall League, to get through some of those things as quickly as possible.”

The 2026 Fall League season will begin on Oct. 3 and end with the championship game on Nov. 14 at Peoria Stadium.