Kyle

Harrison

It sounds like this is something he could potentially make a quick return from, but it’s more likely that the Giants will wind up shutting him down. The 23-year-old was placed on the IL on Friday after going 7-7 with a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts.

Harrison goes on the IL after giving up 11 runs over 7 1/3 innings in his last two starts, leaving him 7-7 with a 4.56 ERA for the season. No word yet on if he’s done for the year. The Giants might consider promoting Carson Whisenhunt to take over for him in the rotation or they could just employ bullpen games until Robbie Ray is back.

Harrison, who has hit a career high for innings, has given up 11 runs in his last two starts and might be wearing down. We’ll probably find out later today what kind of pause this is for him.

Two bad starts in a row have left Harrison with a 4.56 ERA through 25 starts. He hasn’t been dreadful, but his ceiling seems significantly lower than it did a year ago, what with his velocity and strikeout rate both down a bit. He really should need a strong finish this month if he expects to be penciled into the Giants’ 2025 rotation, and he’s due to face a tough Padres squad in each of his next two starts.

Harrison was locked in for the first four innings of this game facing just two batters over the minimum with five punch outs. Then, he walked two in the fifth before Jackson Chourio, Blake Perkins, and William Contreras led a five-run barrage with two outs. It often feels like Harrison takes one step forward before two steps back and still can’t find the consistency he needs start to start. Next up is an important two-start week against the Diamondbacks and Padres.

Harrison allowed five hits, walked two and struck out five against one of MLB’s worst offenses. His 7-5 record and a 4.00 ERA are perfectly fine, but his upside is certainly in question with his velocity and strikeout rate down from last year. He just turned 23, and there’s still the chance that he’ll come up with a better changeup. However, at this point, he rates as a fringe starter.

Harrison gave up two homers tonight, bringing his total to 16 surrendered in 111 innings this season. He’s done a nice job of keeping his walk rate down, but he just hasn’t demonstrated a particularly high ceiling this year, probably in part because his velocity is down about one mph from last year. The no-decision tonight keeps him at 6-5 with a 4.14 ERA.

Harrison allowed five hits while striking out three and not giving up a walk. The 22-year-old allowed runs in the first and fifth inning, and outside of that it was a solid outing that was cut short due at least partially a long rain delay. It is concerning that his velocity was down once again, as he was averaging 90.8 mph with his fastball. That’s something that needs to be monitored, but he’s scheduled to face Atlanta on Tuesday.

The left-hander allowed four home runs, which accounted for all of the runs he allowed on the day. Perhaps more concerningly, his fastball velocity was down 1.7 mph on his fastball and down almost three mph on both his curve and changeup. That led to just three total whiffs on 23 swings. There are currently no indications of there being any injury but it’s something to monitor going forward. Harrison will now carry a 4.09 ERA into a start against the Nationals next week.

Sensational. The only run scored off Harrison came on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Minus that, the left-hander was essentially unchallenged while showing off his enormous swing-and-miss potential. It gives the 22-year-old his sixth win of the season, while lowering his ERA to 3.69. There’s potential for blowups for Harrison, but there’s a chance four outings like this; particularly against bad teams like Colorado. He’s scheduled to face the Reds on Friday in Cincinnati.