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The Giants have released veteran left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi
The start of the 2026 MLB campaign is drawing near, and the San Francisco Giants are beginning to figure out what their Opening Day roster is going to look like. After making several moves over the offseason, first-year manager Tony Vitello has his work cut out for him when it comes to putting the team’s roster together.
While the guys who begin the year on the team aren’t necessarily guaranteed to finish the year in San Fran, it’s important to put your best foot forward right out of the gate. With Opening Day right around the corner, the Giants appear to have made a last-second tweak to their bullpen that has resulted in a surprising move involving left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi being made.
Giants Release Left-Handed Pitcher Joey Lucchesi
LHP Joey Lucchesi has been granted his release by Giants after they signed Ryan Borucki. Lucchesi was 92-94 mph in scoreless appearance yesterday and coming off strong season out of bullpen (3.76 ERA, 1.226 WHIP).
A fourth-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, Lucchesi eventually broke into the majors with the San Diego Padres back in 2018. After spending three seasons with them, he got traded to the New York Mets, which is where he would spend the next four years of his career. However, thanks to a slew of injuries, Lucchesi appeared in just 22 total games during his time with New York.
In 2025, Lucchesi spent the year with the Giants, and instead of being used as a starter, he was moved to the bullpen, where he was used as a lefty specialist. The end result was a bounce-back campaign for Lucchesi, as he posted a 3.76 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 38.1 innings of work. While he was initially non-tendered by the team, he eventually re-signed with San Fran on a minor league contract earlier this month.
It seemed like Lucchesi was on track to reclaim his role in the bullpen from last season, but everything changed when the Giants signed Ryan Borucki, another lefty specialist. Lucchesi saw the writing on the wall, and San Fran granted him his release, giving him the opportunity to latch on with another team ahead of the start of the new campaign.
“LHP Joey Lucchesi has been granted his release by Giants after they signed Ryan Borucki,” Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported in a post on X. “Lucchesi was 92-94 mph in scoreless appearance yesterday and coming off strong season out of bullpen (3.76 ERA, 1.226 WHIP).”
Giants Hoping Ryan Borucki Can Replace Joey Lucchesi
GettyThe Giants have released veteran left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi
Borucki caught the Giants’ attention after he got released by the Chicago White Sox on Friday, despite giving up just three hits and no runs while striking out eight over six innings of work during Spring Training. That was enough to convince San Fran that he’d be an upgrade over Lucchesi, prompting the team to part ways with him.
Lucchesi should draw interest across the league, given how solid he was last season, but the Giants are looking to take a step forward this season. Granted, the addition of Borucki likely won’t be a massive game changer, but if San Francisco can continue to round out the edges of its roster, that could be all it needs to reemerge as a playoff contender in the National League West.
Owen Crisafulli Owen Crisafulli is a Breaking News Writer at Heavy. In addition to writing for Heavy, Owen works as a Content Producer for More Views Media. His work has also appeared on ClutchPoints, The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, Basketball Network, and FanSided, where he shared his insights on a variety of sports topics primarily surrounding the NFL, NBA, and MLB. More about Owen Crisafulli
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