WASHINGTON — Kyle Harrison is back in the rotation. At least for now.
The Giants announced before their game against the Washington Nationals on Friday that Harrison will start today in place of Justin Verlander, who was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 19) this week with a right pec strain. San Francisco also recalled right-hander Tristan Beck from Triple-A Sacramento to take Verlander’s place on the active roster.
“I’m super excited to go out and compete,” Harrison said. “I’m ready to do it. I’ve been waiting. Now, it’s my time.”
Melvin anticipates Harrison will throw around 60 pitches against the Nationals in his first major league start of the season. Harrison’s last start was on April 30 with Sacramento, where he allowed one run over five innings (80 pitches).
Harrison, an alum of De La Salle High in Concord, will also start the next time Verlander’s spot comes up in the rotation, likely next weekend against the Marlins in Miami. As of now, it is unclear what Harrison’s role will be once Verlander returns from the injured list.
“Right now, his focus is on the next two starts,” Melvin said. “Then, we’ll see where we go from there. At this point in time, I think he just wants to help his team win however he can, and the next step here was getting the starting spot for a couple of turns around the rotation.”
Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, the Giants’ top pitching prospect, was another consideration given how well he has pitched with Sacramento. Over nine starts, Whisenhunt has a 3.00 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 51 innings. Whisenhunt has thrown seven innings in each of his past four starts, allowing four earned runs (1.29 ERA) with 28 strikeouts to two walks.
Despite Whisenhunt’s success, Harrison made more sense to take Verlander’s spot given he was already with the team. The Giants also would’ve likely had to demote Whisenhunt once Verlander returned; with Harrison, the team can place him back in the bullpen.
“We talk about everybody, but again, Kyle got here because he was pitching the best,” Melvin said. “It hasn’t been that long since he started, so we just felt like he was next in line for it.”
Harrison, 23, began the season with Triple-A Sacramento, posting a 3.46 ERA over six starts with 38 strikeouts. Despite logging the second most starts (24) and innings (124 1/3) for San Francisco last season, Harrison began the year with the River Cats after losing roughly 15 pounds right before the start of spring training. Harrison also dealt with last year’s nagging shoulder injury during camp.
“Feeling stronger, feeling confident out there,” Harrison said. “Just ready to give it my shot.”
The Giants recalled Harrison in early May to serve as a reliever, a role he’d never pitched in at the major league level. The left-hander has made four relief appearances, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts.
Harrison’s fastball velocity has noticeably increased, compared to last year, during his short time with San Francisco this season. In 2024, Harrison averaged 92.5 mph with his four-seam fastball. This year, by contrast, Harrison is averaging 95.8 mph with his heater while getting nearly two more inches of vertical movement.
“It’s a little different, but at the same time, I just looked at it like I’m competing every time I go out there,” Harrison said of pitching in relief. “That’s ultimately what I’m going to take out there tomorrow — have that same intensity, take an inningby-inning approach, batter by batter and get after it.”
Beck, 28, posted a 3.24 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 25 innings with Sacramento before being called up. The righthander was part of a deep pitching staff, which also featured Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour (3.59 ERA, 55 strikeouts), and Sean Hjelle (3.33 ERA, 25 strikeouts), among others.
“Given the amount of talent we know is down there, everybody takes it a little bit personal as far as, ‘All right, if you’re doing that,’” Beck said. “Sean Hjelle went on a stretch where he went over a month without giving up a run. I was pitching well, but I was sitting there like, ‘All right, I guess it’s time to really step things up.’”
Like Harrison, Beck’s velocity has spiked up. Last year, Beck averaged 93.1 mph with his fourseam fastball. In his last appearance, by contrast, Beck averaged 96 mph. Beck has added a cutter to his repertoire along with the increased velocity.