Trevor McDonald’s right elbow sprain has become the latest problem for the Giants, and the rookie right-hander is now headed for a second opinion after an MRI confirmed a moderate UCL sprain. Harrison Bader, meanwhile, has stopped baseball activity because soreness in his recovery from left plantar fasciitis has lingered long enough to send him to a specialist.
The timing matters because the Giants announced both developments Friday afternoon, putting two players with very different timelines back in the spotlight at once. McDonald, who left his outing Monday against the Kansas City Royals after 67 pitches, is expected to miss some time. Bader has been out since late May, and the club said he will see a foot and ankle specialist in Indianapolis on Monday.
McDonald’s injury is the more severe of the two. Tony Vitello said the minimum absence would be a good chunk of time and that the right-hander is frustrated because every time he seems to gain momentum, discomfort returns. The worst-case outcome is Tommy John surgery, which would end McDonald’s season and keep him out for most of, if not all of, the 2027 season. Hayden Birdsong already had Tommy John surgery earlier this year, so the possibility hangs over a staff that cannot afford many more losses.
There is also a practical wrinkle in the way the Giants are handling the two cases. Vitello said he expects to see Bader again sometime this season, but he described McDonald’s chances as less likely, a blunt split that says plenty about how the club views the two injuries. Bader has been limited to 30 games since signing a two-year, $20.5 million deal, and his return now depends on what the specialist finds. McDonald’s next step is less defined, which is exactly why the second opinion matters.
For McDonald, the question is no longer whether he can simply push through. He posted a 5.12 ERA and 4.27 FIP over 14 starts, with at least six innings in five of them, including seven frames of one-run ball on July 12. That showed a starter finding his footing, but a moderate UCL sprain can change a season quickly, and the second opinion will determine whether the Giants are dealing with a short pause or something far more serious. The answer may decide whether McDonald returns this year at all.
