Could Role Change of Giants Former Top Prospect Be Permanent?

The San Francisco Giants made a change to their pitching staff.

After giving Jordan Hicks a chance to prove that he could be a starting pitcher at the Major League level, it became apparent the experiment was not going to work. So instead of forcing it any longer, the Giants reinserted Hayden Birdsong into the rotation and converted Hicks back to being a reliever.

It's not uncommon for teams around the MLB to give their young pitchers bullpen experience as their first taste of pitching in The Show, but when it came to another one of their former top prospects, the Giants made an eye-opening decision.

Since Kyle Harrison's velocity was down during spring training coming off a disappointing showing in 2024 when he posted a 4.56 ERA and 85 ERA+ in 24 starts, they optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento to begin the 2025 campaign.

There he looked solid, with his strikeout stuff returning at a high rate.

It was only a matter of time before the No. 1-ranked prospect in 2023 and 2024 was called back up, but when San Francisco finally announced that roster move, they did so with a interesting revelation.

Instead of putting Harrison back into a starting role, they placed him in the bullpen.

And unlike with Birdsong where he was used as a long reliever by pitching multiple innings to keep him stretched out in case he was converted back into a starter, Harrison has been used like a more tradition reliever.

So far, that decision is paying off.

Harrison has made four appearances this season, and in those outings, he's given up just two runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched with seven strikeouts and three walks.

While that is a small sample size, this has been the best he's looked in the MLB, hitting some high velocity numbers and looking like the strikeout artist he was in the minors when he fanned a staggering 490 batters across 305 1/3 innings.

Could the Giants keep him as a reliever permanently or will he be converted back to a starter?

If San Francisco does decide to change roles for Harrison, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area isn't sold that it will come in 2025.

"... Harrison will get his shot at some point. It might not be this year, though ... With some tired arms in the bullpen, Harrison was asked to protect a two-run lead in the top of the seventh. The 23-year-old looked comfortable with the added responsibility," he wrote after Tuesday's contest.

High-leverage relievers are important, especially for contending teams.

The Giants might still view their former top prospect as a future rotation arm for them down the line. But right now, it looks like manager Bob Melvin is ready to keep him in this relief role for as long as he possibly can.

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