San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Camilo Doval is set to return to the major leagues on Saturday, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Doval was surprisingly optioned to Triple-A Sacramento earlier in August after posting a poor 8.59 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP in his previous seven 1/3 frames. At Triple-A, the right-hander held a solid 3.18 ERA and a 0.53 WHIP across five 2/3 frames of work. In Doval's absence, Ryan Walker settled in as the closer in the Bay Area by tossing seven frames of one-run ball (zero earned) with a 0.86 WHIP and a 2:16 BB:K ratio. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to who emerges as the top option for saves in San Francisco down the stretch.
Camilo Doval Expected To Return For Upcoming Road Trip
San Francisco Giants right-handed reliever Camilo Doval is eligible to return to the big-league roster on the team's upcoming road trip that starts this Friday in Seattle against the Mariners, and manager Bob Melvin said he expects the former closer to be back. Doval's role will be to be determined, though, as right-hander Ryan Walker has been pretty dominant of late after taking over as the club's primary closer. Doval lost virtually all of his fantasy value when the Giants optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento earlier this month. The Giants had seen enough after five blown saves from the 27-year-old this year while also sporting career-high 14.3% walk rate. He walked one and struck out five while giving up two runs in four innings for the River Cats since being sent down and is likely going to be used in lower-leverage situations in San Fran upon his return. There's no guarantee he'll be closing games again this year at the big-league level if Walker continues to be dominant.
The San Francisco Giants optioned right-handed reliever Camilo Doval to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. The move comes a day after Doval blew his fifth save of the season (he was credited with a win) when he allowed three runs on a hit (a game-tying home run) and two walks over an inning of work against the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Doval was luckily bailed out with a win when the Giants scored four runs in the top of the 10th inning, but the Giants had seen enough. The 27-year-old closer has 22 saves on the year and led the league with 39 saves in 2023, but his 27.6% strikeout rate is a career-low, and he's coupled it with a career-worst 14.3% walk rate in 44 innings in 2024. It's a drastic measure by the Giants team that has plenty of other issues besides Doval at the back end of their bullpen. Moving forward, the Gigantes figure to play the matchups in save situations with Ryan Walker and Taylor Rogers.
San Francisco Giant closer Camilo Doval fell victim to his fifth blown save against the Washington Nationals on Thursday. After picking up the save on Wednesday in a scoreless inning, it would not be as easy Thursday. Doval allowed a pair of walks, while getting two groundouts before giving up a game-tying, three-run home run to Luis Garcia Jr. with two outs to send the game into extra innings. Doval was able to salvage some of his poor outing when the Giants won in extra innings, giving him the victory, but it was an overall rough appearance. Doval has been a rollercoaster of sorts this season, having the occasional blow up, but he should remain the Giants closer and is a strong option when everything is cooking for him on the hill. With Doval working in back-to-back games, the Giants could turn to Tyler Rogers, Taylor Rogers or Ryan Walker if a save is needed on Friday.
San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval picked up his 21st save of the season in convincing fashion in a 4-1 victory over the Nationals. Doval came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by three and shut the door by striking out the side. The 27-year-old has converted 21 of 25 save opportunities this season and has provided a strong 12.00 K/9 rate. However, his 4.29 ERA is higher than fantasy managers would like to see, and it could be in part due to his bloated 5.57 BB/9 rate. Job security and high-end strikeout upside should keep Doval in the conversation as a higher-end fantasy option, but he will remain in just the mid-hier tier of options if his walk issues continue to plague him.
San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval blew his fourth save of the season on Sunday against the visiting Minnesota Twins, giving up two earned runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one in just one-third of an inning in the team's eventual 3-2 victory. It was Doval's first blown save since June 28, and he had five straight scoreless appearances before struggling again on Sunday. The 27-year-old Dominican reliever hasn't had the best of seasons at the halfway point for the Giants, as he's currently has a 4.38 ERA (3.51 FIP), a 1.62 WHIP, 17 saves, 49 strikeouts and 24 walks in 37 innings pitched. Doval led the league with a career-high 39 saves in 2023, which earned him his first All-Star appearance. However, he's currently sporting a career-high 14% walk rate, and if he continues to hand out free passes in the second half, there's a chance he could lose his grip on the closer role.
San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval pitched a scoreless ninth inning to nail down the victory and pick up the save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Cubs. It was Doval's 14th save of the year. While it was his fifth straight conversion, he has had some rough outings this season including a non-save situation on June 16 in which he allowed four earned runs on four hits and two walks, with that outing marking the second time this season he's allowed four earned runs in an appearance. As such, the 26-year-old is sporting a 4.40 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, and 12.0% K-BB% on the season.
San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval nearly blew the save in Friday's win on the road over the New York Mets, but he held on to record his ninth save of the year despite a one-run ninth inning. DJ Stewart first doubled to get the tying run to the plate in the ninth, scoring on a Francisco Lindor single. Doval may have been the one to ultimately seal the deal on Friday, but it was Matt Chapman's stunning bare-handed throw to first base to retire Mark Vientos for the final out that completed the adventure. The flame-throwing 26-year-old right-hander features a 3.05 ERA with 27 punchouts through 20 2/3 innings as San Fran's stopper this year, but his 1.50 WHIP is a cause for some concern. Despite the shaky outing, Doval should still be viewed as one of fantasy's preeminent closers going forward.
San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval struck out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. The 26-year-old is six-for-six on save opportunities this season to go along with a 3.09 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 15/6 K/BB. Doval has not been flawless this year, but he has found a way to work around trouble when it pops up. The right-hander remains a premium fantasy option as he tries to usurp last season's career-high of 39 saves.
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Camilo Doval has experienced a rough start to the season with two runs allowed in 2 2/3 innings coming into Sunday's game. However, the right-hander was able to hold his own versus the San Diego Padres. Doval struck out the side while working around a two-out single by Jackson Merrill. It's still early in the season, but it's nice to see Doval putting together a solid outing. He has been one of the more reliable options at the closer spot over the last few years.
