Giants left-hander Carson Whisenhunt tears UCL in pitching elbow, surgery has been recommended

By: Janie Mccauley, The Associated Press Posted: 6:59 PM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Giants left-hander Carson Whisenhunt suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and is likely to need surgery, another blow for an injury-plagued pitching staff.

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An MRI on Tuesday revealed the severity of his injury, a day after the 25-year-old Whisenhunt exited in the third inning of his team’s 5-0 win against Cincinnati with pain in the elbow. He said he felt it on the final two pitches he threw and that it was unlike anything he had felt previously with his arm and elbow.

The Giants said he would be examined by team doctors Tuesday and surgery was recommended. Whisenhunt was placed on the 15-day injured list with a sprained elbow and the club recalled right-hander Spencer Bivens from Triple-A Sacramento.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Whisenhunt was coming off an outing in which he surrendered a career-worst seven runs and nine hits over four innings of an 8-1 loss at Cleveland last Tuesday. And he was on a roll when the injury happened, done after 47 pitches. Athletic trainer Dave Groeschner hustled out to check on Whisenhunt, who was clearly in pain and held his arm straight before walking off the mound.

“I felt great. It’s honestly probably the best I felt all year,” he said after the game of the 2 2/3 scoreless innings facing the Reds. “Just mechanical, pitch shapes, velo, everything. Just felt really good today until the last two pitches.”

A second-round selection by San Francisco in the 2022 amateur draft out of East Carolina University, he was 3-4 with a 6.49 ERA with 26 strikeouts over eight starts and 34 2/3 innings.

San Francisco pitchers Hayden Birdsong and Trevor McDonald already had Tommy John reconstructive surgery.