Giants place Rafael Devers on 60-day IL with core muscle injury, select Scott Bandura

Rafael Devers is heading to the injured list — and possibly to the operating table — after the San Francisco Giants announced they have placed their first baseman on the 60-day IL with a core muscle injury. In the corresponding move, outfielder Scott Bandura had his contract selected from Triple-A, stepping into Devers' spots on both the 28-man and 40-man rosters, per the club announcement.

What happened

A detail buried in the Giants' announcement reframes the entire season: according to a team press release, Devers carried this core muscle issue throughout the year and elected to continue playing rather than address it. He is scheduled to visit Dr. William Meyers on Monday, and surgery could come as early as Tuesday, depending on the doctor's recommendation.

The timing is striking in its own quiet way. Per Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors, Devers had been used as the designated hitter rather than at first base in four of San Francisco's last five games — but there was no visible indication he was dealing with any injury. The announcement Saturday was the first public acknowledgment of the condition.

John Shea of the San Francisco Standard had reported a day earlier that Bandura would be added to the active roster. The club's announcement Saturday formalized the move.

Why it matters

The 60-day IL removes a player from the 40-man roster count entirely, which is why Bandura could step directly into both the active and 40-man spots without requiring a separate transaction. For a club sitting at 62-87 and already eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race, the competitive math is straightforward: there is no reason to push Devers through a core injury in September when the standings offer no reward for doing so.

What makes the move more layered is what Devers was doing before it. Per MLB Trade Rumors, there had been some speculation earlier in the year that the Giants might look to move his contract at the trade deadline or in the offseason. That conversation tends to quiet down when a player is performing at the level Devers has been performing — and the numbers make that case emphatically.

The numbers

Devers closes his 2026 regular season with a .258/.340/.525 slash line, a 135 wRC+, and 37 home runs — one off his career high — across 633 plate appearances, per MLB Trade Rumors.

The back half of that season was something else entirely. Since August 1, Devers posted a .291/.398/.674 slash with 15 home runs and a 187 wRC+, the best mark among qualified batters in that stretch, per MLB Trade Rumors. The three-time All-Star was, by that measure, the most productive hitter in baseball over the final weeks of the season — while quietly carrying a core muscle injury the whole time.

An ice-cold start to the year, combined with the Giants' poor record, kept much of that production from registering loudly in the broader conversation. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Devers had essentially been hitting like his usual self since the start of May. The 135 wRC+ for the full season reflects that: well above league average, and the kind of number that tends to make offseason contract discussions more straightforward rather than less.

Where the club stands

San Francisco enters Sunday at 62-87 (.416), sitting fourth in the NL West, 28.5 games back in the division, and 18.5 games below the Wild Card cut line — ranked 11th in that race. The Giants have dropped two straight.

The schedule ahead offers no softness. Sunday brings the San Diego Padres to Oracle Park, with Logan Webb taking the ball against Nick Pivetta. The club then travels to Busch Stadium for back-to-back games against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday and Tuesday, with San Francisco's probable starters listed as TBD on both days against Quinn Mathews and Andre Pallante, respectively.

That Monday appointment with Dr. Meyers — and whatever recommendation follows — will unfold on a travel day to St. Louis, which is a particular kind of September for a ballclub.

Scott Bandura: who is he?

Bandura, 25, was a seventh-round pick out of Princeton in the 2023 draft. He has hit .320/.407/.488 across 604 combined plate appearances at the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season, per MLB Trade Rumors. He has also stolen 34 bases in 38 attempts this year, part of a 102-for-114 stolen base record across his minor league career — a success rate that suggests the attempts are not the reckless kind.

That combination of on-base ability, speed, and what MLB Trade Rumors describes as increased power this season makes Bandura an interesting piece for the Giants to evaluate as they sort through their outfield options. He can play all three outfield positions. Whenever he appears in a game, it will be his Major League debut.

The breakout season has not landed Bandura on the top-30 Giants prospect lists from either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline, per MLB Trade Rumors — a detail that will matter considerably less to him once he steps onto a big-league field for the first time.

What we don't know yet

The most consequential unknown is what Dr. Meyers recommends on Monday. Surgery could come as early as Tuesday, per the club announcement, but that outcome depends on the doctor's evaluation. The Giants have not detailed a timetable for Devers' return, and the 60-day IL designation means he is not expected to appear again in the 2026 regular season regardless of what is decided.

Whether the injury changes the Giants' thinking about Devers' contract situation heading into the offseason also remains an open question. Per MLB Trade Rumors, speculation about a potential trade had circulated earlier in the year; the club has not addressed that publicly, and any offseason decisions will presumably depend in part on the surgical outcome and recovery timeline — neither of which has been detailed.

What to watch

Bandura's debut is the immediate storyline. With the roster expanded to 28 under September rules, there is room to give him meaningful looks in the outfield over the games that remain. His speed and on-base profile are the tools the Giants will want to see translate at the major league level.

A week removed from the Giants reportedly claiming right-hander Duncan Davitt off waivers from the Braves, and with Cesar Perdomo having recorded his first career quality start in his debut week with the club earlier this month, San Francisco has been adding pieces to evaluate down the stretch. Bandura is the latest name on that list — and the one arriving with the most fanfare, however quietly it has been delivered.

The Devers situation, meanwhile, will be worth monitoring through the week. Monday's appointment with Dr. Meyers is the next concrete checkpoint, and whatever follows will shape how the Giants and the broader market think about one of the more quietly productive first-base seasons in the National League this year.