SAN FRANCISCO -- Camilo Doval is back.
The Giants announced Thursday that they’ve claimed Doval off waivers from the Pirates, bringing the former All-Star closer back to the organization for the first time since he was dealt to the Yankees at the 2025 Trade Deadline.
Right-hander Blade Tidwell (right elbow sprain) was placed on the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Doval. Tidwell was recommended to undergo surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Tuesday, which will likely sideline him for the entire 2027 campaign.
Doval, 29, debuted with the Giants in 2021 and spent his first five Major League seasons in San Francisco, where he earned his first career All-Star nod after logging a 2.93 ERA with a National League-high 39 saves in 2023.
Still, the hard-throwing right-hander regressed over the next two years, prompting the Giants to trade him to the Yankees in exchange for prospects Jesus Rodriguez, Parks Harber, Trystan Vrieling and Carlos De La Rosa last summer. Doval opened the 2026 campaign with the Yankees, but he posted a 4.54 ERA over 44 outings before being flipped to the Pirates on Aug. 1.
Doval’s stint in Pittsburgh proved brief, as he was designated for assignment earlier this week after recording a 3.79 ERA with 14 walks across 19 innings in 20 outings for the Pirates. Doval remains under club control through 2027, but he’s making $6.1 million this year and will be eligible for arbitration again this offseason, so the Giants will have to decide whether to tender him a contract later this winter.
Still, the Giants have lacked stability at the back end of their bullpen since trading Doval and Tyler Rogers last year, so it could make sense to retain Doval’s services beyond this year. San Francisco’s bullpen ranks 19th in the Majors with a 4.18 ERA this season and doesn’t have a ton of experienced options outside of left-hander Sam Hentges and right-hander Jason Foley.
If he pitches in a game during the Giants’ final regular-season series against the Dodgers this weekend, Doval will become the 71st player to suit up for San Francisco in 2026, tying the Major League record set by the 2025 Braves.
“There’s been a lot,” manager Tony Vitello said Wednesday. “I don’t think you’re going to play a Major League season where there’s not a lot. Everybody’s story is a little bit different, but I think it’s been fair to say ours has been unique in a lot of different ways. That’s a crazy scenario. I guess, being in the first year in the organization, you’d like to meet everybody, so this is one way to do it.”