SAN FRANCISCO -- For the first time in five years, Logan Webb will miss a start for the Giants.
The two-time All-Star was placed on the 15-day injured list with right knee bursitis on Saturday, retroactive to Wednesday.
Webb, the premier workhorse in the Majors, had made 157 consecutive starts for the Giants since his last IL stint in July 2021, but he suffered a rare setback on Tuesday, when he was forced to depart his outing against the Padres due to knee discomfort.
The 29-year-old right-hander threw only 62 pitches over four innings and allowed a season-high-tying six earned runs, which bumped his ERA up to 5.06 on the season.
Webb said he’d been dealing with the knee issue for a while and aggravated the injury while covering the bag during his April 30 start against the Phillies.
"I haven't missed a start in a long time, so it’s been eating at me a little bit,” Webb said before the Giants' game against the Pirates on Saturday. “But I think it's best for me, best for the team, best for the longevity of my career. That sort of thing. I’ve got a lot of good people in my corner that talked me into it, pretty much. But I’m glad I did.”
In a corresponding move, Trevor McDonald was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants, after trading Patrick Bailey to the Guardians earlier in the day, also selected the contract of catcher Logan Porter from Sacramento.
Manager Tony Vitello said it wasn’t easy to convince Webb to take some time to heal, but the Giants felt it was the best course of action to take right now.
"He fought that pretty good,” Vitello said. “He fights anything good as it relates to him being out there and posting.”
"That's somebody that you just take for granted, how he makes every single start,” third baseman Matt Chapman said. “I think this is maybe the first start he's missed in like five years or something like that. He's a workhorse for us. He's probably the last person to ever admit that something doesn't feel good. He wants to be out there for us, for the fans, for the organization. He really cares. It hurts not having him, but I know that he's going to take this time to get right, and he's going to probably be even better for it.”
Webb refused to use the injury as an excuse for his subpar performance early this year, but he expressed confidence that he’ll be able to return after missing the minimum 15 days and regain his usual dominance on the mound.
"I’ll get a little break and come back refreshed,” Webb said. “Hopefully I’ll be a little better once that heals and I come back.”
The Giants haven’t determined when McDonald will slot into the rotation, but the 25-year-old rookie is likely to start one of the upcoming games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles next week.
McDonald struck out eight while working seven innings of one-run ball in his 2026 debut against the Padres on Monday, so the Giants believe he’ll be able to step in and help assuage the loss of Webb for the time being.
"If he's willing to relentlessly pound the strike zone like that, by the end of the year, we almost have to find a spot where he is best fitting for our club,” Vitello said of McDonald. “In a case where a guy's down, it's kind of an easy out to include him in the mix and get him a start.”