SAN FRANCISCO -- Ryan Walker is back in the big leagues.
The Giants recalled their erstwhile closer from Triple-A Sacramento ahead of Friday night’s series opener against the Cubs at Oracle Park. Fellow right-hander Carson Seymour was optioned in a corresponding move.
Walker, 30, was expected to be a key piece in the Giants’ bullpen this year, but he ended up being demoted to Sacramento on May 10 after struggling to a 6.46 ERA with three blown saves in his first 16 appearances of 2026. It was Walker’s first stint in the Minors since 2023, when he first debuted with the Giants as a cross-firing right-hander.
Walker spent some time working on some adjustments at the Giants’ player development center at Papago Park in Arizona before heading to Triple-A Sacramento, where he recorded a 1.93 ERA with seven strikeouts over 9 1/3 innings in eight outings.
“He's been great,” manager Tony Vitello said earlier this week. “He's communicated with me about how great he feels, and I think more than anything, he's in a good head space. … I think he's done what he needs to. From my standpoint, getting back out there again might be good for him.”
Walker’s return could help bolster a Giants bullpen that entered Friday with an MLB-worst 8.74 ERA over 10 games in June.
Seymour, 27, earned his first callup of the year with the Giants last week, but he was hit hard in his first two appearances, giving up seven runs over 4 1/3 innings against the Cubs and Nationals.