The Giants activated right-hander Jason Foley from the 60-day injured list right before the All-Star break, and if you haven't thought about him since December, that's fair — the guy hasn't pitched in the majors since 2024. San Francisco is finally cashing in on a bet it made almost a full year in advance.
Giants Reinstate Jason Foley From 60-Day IL t.co/1qTjeaSDop
Some context on how weird this timeline actually is. Foley spent 2021 through 2024 as Detroit's primary closer-type piece, running a 3.16 ERA across 210 relief outings for the Tigers. Then in May of last year he had surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder — one of the nastier injuries a reliever can have — and didn't throw a single big league pitch in 2025. Detroit, staring at a similar arbitration salary for a guy who wasn't going to pitch, non-tendered him after the season instead of paying up.
That's where the Giants stepped in. San Francisco signed Foley in December on a $2MM guarantee, essentially betting on the recovery rather than the present-day pitcher — the expectation from the jump was that he'd be ready to help sometime in the middle of this season, not on Opening Day. He's spent the last stretch rehabbing at Triple-A Sacramento, and the sinker/slider combo that made him effective in Detroit is reportedly still there, which matters plenty for a Giants bullpen that's needed reliable arms all year.
To clear a 40-man/active roster spot for him, San Francisco optioned reliever Spencer Bivens back to Triple-A. It's a low-key corresponding move, but it tells you the Giants see Foley as a real addition right now, not just a paper transaction to check a box before the break.
The timing lines up almost perfectly with the All-Star break too — Foley gets to slot in with a full week of ramp-up buffer before the second half kicks off. For a bullpen that's going to lean on him for save chances and high-leverage innings down the stretch, getting him activated now instead of scrambling in August is exactly the plan working as drawn up.