Sam

Hentges

Hentges has finally worked his way back from right knee and left shoulder surgeries that cost him the entire 2025 campaign. The Giants are hopeful that he can provide a major boost to a bullpen that has been a complete disaster this season.

The Giants signed Hentges, who missed all of last season with the Guardians, in December thinking he’d be a participant in spring training but realizing there was a good chance he’d open up on the IL. He wasn’t able to get into any games, so it seems clear he’s at least a month away from helping out of the pen.

Hentges underwent surgery on his shoulder in the offseason, and isn’t ready for game action. The 29-year-old is a candidate to start the year on the injured list, but there’s enough time for the southpaw to get enough appearances to avoid that trip.

The deal, agreed to last week, was reported as being worth $1.4 million. A healthy Hentges is easily worth that, but he’s coming off shoulder surgery, which is why the Guardians non-tendered him despite his 2.93 ERA in 138 innings since the beginning of 2022. The Giants believe he’ll be ready to go at the start of spring training.

Hentges was non-tendered by the Guardians last week after missing last season due to shoulder surgery. Since debuting with Cleveland in 2021, he 29-year-old left-hander has a 4.18 ERA and a 223/74 K/BB in 206 2/3 innings, though that ERA drops to 2.93 if one throws out his rookie campaign.

All three players now free agents. Brennan underwent surgery to repair the UCL in his left elbow back in May, but should be ready to go early in the 2026 season. Both Hentges and Enright will likely see non-roster interest to help needy bullpens.

Hentges is going to miss the 2025 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. The 28-year-old southpaw is now off the 40-man roster, and the Guardians now have room to sign Jakob Junis.

The 28-year-old southpaw is expected to miss the entirety of the 2025 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. The Guardians hope that he’ll make it back stronger and better than ever to be a major contributor in their bullpen once again for the 2026 season.

The expectation now is that Hentges will miss not only the rest of 2024, but also 2025 as the estimated recovery time is 12-14 months according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. The 28-year-old has been out since July with his shoulder issue, and not enough progress was made to avoid the surgery. He’ll compete for a bullpen spot in 2026, but obviously that long of delay makes things tricky.

Hentges quickly experienced a setback after beginning a rehab assignment earlier this month, and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to contribute again this season. The move to the 60-day officially rules him out until Sept. 9.