After an outstanding pitching performance, Trevor McDonald is optioned to Triple-A

May 4, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Trevor McDonald (72) on the mound before his major league debut against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

After an outstanding pitching performance, Trevor McDonald is optioned to Triple-A

Originally posted on San Francisco Giants on SI
By Ryan Boman | Last updated May 5, 2026 7:04 PM ET

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Well... for Trevor McDonald, it was fun while it lasted.

The San Francisco Giants righthanded pitcher was optioned back to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday, despite having one of the best pitching performances of the year so far for the Golden Gate Nine. The 25-year-old hurler threw seven strong innings, allowing only one earned run, en route to a 3-2 San Fran win over the San Diego Padres. McDonald threw 60 strikes among his 81 pitches, striking out eight and walking none while picking up his first MLB victory of 2026.

Unfortunately, McDonald became a victim of the roster crunch at the big-league level, which has been a fluid situation as of late. The team recently promoted #1 prospect Bryce Eldridge to the Giants, hoping he will help shake up a struggling offense.

Itronically, it was those same rolling talent tides that brought McDonald to The City by the Bay for one night - at least for now. McDonald's showing against San Diego should be enough to see him get significant time with the big club, particularly in a season that's becoming a lot about trial-and-error.

McDonald will be back

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

As stated, Trevor McDonald's demotion seems more temporary than anything else. Even though San Francisco's struggles have been mostly on offense, you never have enough pitching at the MLB level. McDonald gives his skipper a lot of options; he can work in middle relief and make spot starts when called upon.

As Tony Vitello stated following McDonald's masterful showing on the mound, the team will look at all options as they continue to try to turn a terrible start to 2026 around. Having extra, reliable arms goes a long way towards that goal.

“Regardless of what the immediate future holds, I think in the distant future, the long term, obviously, he’s going to get the ball in his hand again in a vital situation,” Giants first-year manager Vitello said after Monday's win, adding that all options were on the table for McDonald. "If you’re not a starter, you could be that guy who closes for us."

This article first appeared on San Francisco Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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