Overview
- An MRI confirmed a Grade 2 right forearm strain and an ulnar collateral ligament sprain for the 24-year-old right-hander.
- Birdsong is weighing rehabilitation versus Tommy John surgery after the Dallas evaluation, with manager Tony Vitello calling the news not the best-case scenario.
- If surgery is chosen, the recovery typically spans 12–14 months, likely costing him all of 2026 and potentially part of 2027, whereas a rehab attempt could allow a return later this season but with uncertainty.
- He reported a tug or pop after a curveball during a Cactus League outing against the Guardians, exiting after a scoreless inning that featured velocity up to about 99 mph.
- The setback dents San Francisco’s pitching depth, pushing greater reliance on young options such as Trevor McDonald, Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour, and Blade Tidwell behind the projected rotation of Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp, Adrian Houser, and Tyler Mahle.