The SF Giants could use some reinforcements in the back of their rotation. While it seems like right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling's return from the injured list is not imminent, he believes he is trending in the right direction.
"Everything has been mostly fine," Stripling said on Friday. "I could feel better about where I'm at, but everything is definitely getting better. I'm always trying to make sure my arsenal is where I want it because I wasn't killing it before I went on the IL, so you're trying to get to a place where you feel like your stuff is better."
Stripling was placed on the injured list in mid-May with a back injury. After inking a two-year, $25 million contract with the Giants this offseason, Stripling's tenure in San Francisco got off to a rough start. Stripling lost his spot in the starting rotation after a pair of rough outings and had a 7.24 ERA in nine appearances (32.1 innings pitched) before he was placed on the injured list.
In his conversation on Friday, Stripling acknowledged that the back had been bothering him throughout the start of the season and he's hoping to use his time on the injured list to gain a grasp of his pitch arsenal.
"Injury feels good," Stripling added. "Now it's just about getting my mechanics to where I feel like I'm repeating them every time so my stuff is going where it's supposed to."
Stripling has already thrown multiple bullpen sessions, including on Monday and Thursday of this week. He will do another bullpen on Sunday before the team reevaluates his status. Stripling had been hopeful he would be ready for a minor-league rehab assignment by the end of this week, but acknowledged that it's been a slower recovery process than he had hoped. Stripling said he's been working to refine his arsenal, but added that he's dealt with frustration as he's tried to put it all together.
"It seems to be a little hit-and-miss, which is frustrating," Stripling said. "A lot of times it is kind of one pitch, but I'll throw a bullpen, slider will be good, change will be erratic, and the next time the changeup will be money, and the slider will be weird. It's frustrating for sure, but my last one was good, and I have another one on Sunday."
With several pitchers currently out with injuries, the SF Giants could use a healthy Ross Stripling who can match his pre-2023 levels of production. It seems like he could be trending toward a return in the next couple of weeks.
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