SF Giants finally add free agent signee to their bullpen, move starter to 60-day IL

Giants fans who have been clamoring for the club to trade for an established veteran reliever didn’t have their wish come true on Sunday, but the club did add another arm to their bullpen.

Right-hander John Brebbia, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June, was activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of the team’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Brebbia owns a career 3.14 ERA in 161 games and was one of the St. Louis Cardinals’ most reliable relievers from 2017-2019, but after undergoing surgery last summer, the righty was non-tendered in the offseason. The Giants acted quickly to sign Brebbia to a major league deal and hope he can be the next under-the-radar signee who turns into an important contributor for the club.

To create space for Brebbia on the 26-man roster, the Giants optioned lefty Conner Menez to Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants also needed to clear space on their 40-man roster to activate Brebbia, so the club transferred right-hander Aaron Sanchez to the 60-day injured list.

Sanchez is currently rehabbing from a bicep injury with Triple-A Sacramento and is scheduled to make his next appearance on Tuesday with the River Cats. With his new injured list designation, Sanchez will be unable to rejoin the Giants before July 8.

Menez opened his 2021 season with 11 scoreless innings for the Giants, but allowed five runs (one earned) in an outing against the Diamondbacks this week before giving up six hits and five earned runs over 2.0 innings against the Phillies in Saturday’s 13-6 loss.