# Giants lose Tidwell to UCL surgery, rotation in crisis

> Rookie starter Blade Tidwell needs Tommy John surgery after a moderate-to-high-grade elbow sprain, leaving San Francisco's pitching depth severely depleted.
- Title: Giants lose Tidwell to UCL surgery, rotation in crisis · Mlb
- Summary: Rookie starter Blade Tidwell needs Tommy John surgery after a moderate-to-high-grade elbow sprain, leaving San Francisco's pitching depth severely depleted…
- Keywords: blade tidwell, san francisco giants, ucl sprain, tommy john surgery, mlb, starting rotation, injury, 2027 roster, hayden birdsong, trevor mcdonald, carson whisenhunt, sports
- Source: Mlb — https://mlb.com/news/blade-tidwell-leaves-start-against-twins-with-right-elbow-injury
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: blade tidwell, san francisco giants, ucl sprain, tommy john surgery, mlb, starting rotation, injury, 2027 roster, hayden birdsong, trevor mcdonald, carson whisenhunt, sports
## Tidwell needs elbow surgery
Giants rookie starter Blade Tidwell suffered a moderate-to-high-grade ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow during Monday's game against the Twins. An MRI on Tuesday confirmed the injury, and he's been recommended for surgery.

> I just felt a little discomfort. I summoned them out there, and then they took me out of the game.
## Injury happened mid-game
Tidwell threw three scoreless innings before giving up a home run to Brooks Lee in the fourth inning. He signaled to the dugout after his next pitch and was pulled after 57 total pitches.
## Fourth young starter down
Tidwell joins Hayden Birdsong, Trevor McDonald, and Carson Whisenhunt as Giants starters who needed Tommy John surgery in 2026. The team's rotation depth is now critically thin heading into 2027.

> It's not something that I want, but it happens to most pitchers in today's game, so I know I can get through it.
## Webb and Roupp are only locks
Logan Webb and Landen Roupp are the only guaranteed starters for the Giants' 2027 rotation. Adrian Houser remains under contract but is currently injured, leaving unproven prospects like Anthony Molina and Cesar Perdomo as backup options.
## Roupp shut down for season
Landen Roupp has been shut down for the remainder of the season due to workload concerns after throwing a career-high 155 innings. He finished with a 4.01 ERA but acknowledged needing to improve his command.

> Mixed emotions. I'm not really happy with a lot of the outings I've had, but I am happy that I had a full year healthy without going on the IL.
## Tidwell showed promise late
Before the injury, Tidwell delivered his best start on September 15 against the Cardinals, allowing two runs over 6 and two-thirds innings. He posted a 4.45 ERA across nine starts for San Francisco after the August trade deadline.

> I saw a lot of positives and stuff to build off of going into the offseason. The last few starts, I felt like I really grew as a pitcher.
## Giants roster decimated by injuries
San Francisco has 24 players on the injured list, with 16 on the 60-day IL. Christian Koss is now the last remaining player from the Giants' 2026 Opening Day roster still available.
## Key takeaway

The Giants have now lost four young starters to Tommy John surgery in one year, leaving Logan Webb and Landen Roupp as their only locked-in rotation pieces for 2027.