SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Giants sent closer and former All-Star Camilo Doval to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday.
The right-hander has struggled to regain the form that would have made him an All-Star in 2023 in 46 appearances for San Francisco this season, and his career-low 4.70 ERA represents the worst of his career.
“When you’re a guy like him, you don’t expect to hear something like that. So he’s processing it right now and hopefully he’ll tackle it the right way, come back here and fulfill the role that he’s played very successfully in the past,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said.
The team has not named a new closer.
“It’s going to be the guy we think has the best chance of making it without messing everything else up,” Melvin said.
Doval (4-1, 22 saves) has had an unusually error-filled year. Over the past two seasons, he has pitched more than 60 innings with a sub-3.00 ERA and more than 25 saves. Last season, he led the National League with 39 saves. This year, despite 22 saves, Doval has allowed 42 hits and 25 runs — 23 earned — in 27 chances while posting 56 strikeouts.
His last blown save came on Thursday night when he allowed a three-run home run to tie the game in the ninth inning against the Nationals, a game the Giants won in the tenth inning.
Control over his fastball has been largely lacking. He has allowed 29 walks this season, compared to just 26 in all of 2023 and 30 in 2022.
Doval has also had trouble setting his slider and his breaking ball has shifted, causing him to be unable to find the strike zone consistently. The Giants cannot afford that inconsistency when they are just two games out of a wild-card spot in the National League.
“Could we have put him in a secondary role? I don’t know if that would help. I think some of the issues he needs to work on would be easier to solve somewhere else than in the big leagues,” Melvin said. “He’s an All-Star. We expect him to come back and be an All-Star.”
San Francisco promoted right-hander Landen Roupp to its 40-man roster to take Doval’s place.
