San Francisco return brings fond recollections for ex-Giant Tyler Rogers

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Right-hander Tyler Rogers joined the Toronto Blue Jays in the offseason on a three-year, $37 million contract. "It's been great in Toronto for me and my family," he said. (Frank Gunn/AP)


The flight into San Francisco on Sunday night got Tyler Rogers into a nostalgic mood. He scrolled through photos on his phone, looking back at the seven years worth of memories he collected while playing with the Giants.

It was on the scenic rooftop at the hotel across the street from Oracle Park that Rogers proposed to his wife, Jennifer. He remembered having to hide the engagement ring among the couple's belongings as they packed up their home in Sacramento for his major league callup in September 2019. He got down on one knee in front of all their family and friends two days after his big league debut.

He thought back on the 107-win 2021 season, the submariner becoming an integral part of the team's bullpen after toiling in the team's minor league system for eight years. He still thinks fondly of pitching against, and then alongside his identical twin brother Taylor Rogers in 2023 and 2024. Meantime, his first son spent his first years growing up a San Franciscan.

"So much happened for me, personally, here," Rogers said before Monday's game. "I can go on and on about the memories here."

Rogers' time with the Giants set him up for a big payday for his first foray into free agency. The 35-year-old parlayed a career 2.76 ERA and four-time National League leader in appearances to a three-year, $37 million contract to pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason.

He's been his typical solid self in Toronto. He has a 1.77 ERA in 42 appearances for the third-place team as it vies for a postseason spot.

This week, Rogers can add one more memory to his bank: pitching on the Oracle Park mound as an opponent. He'd missed out on that opportunity when the Giants traded him in the final year of his arbitration eligibility at the deadline to the New York Mets after the team had visited San Francisco.

"I'm excited to see some of the guys," Rogers said. "Just going through memory lane a little bit until the game starts."

Nostalgia may be even harsher for the home team when they see Rogers take the mound during this three-game series. Rogers is just the high-leverage, consistent bullpen arm this 2026 Giants team has sorely lacked.

Rogers deflected when asked whether president of baseball operations Buster Posey and the front office approached Rogers about signing him back with the Giants in free agency, saying only that he was open to signing with all 30 teams.

Posey and Co. did not feel it necessary to hand over lucrative contracts to relievers in order to fill gaping voids in their bullpen this offseason. To replace Rogers, Camilo Doval and injured closer Randy Rodriguez - all their high-leverage arms - the Giants signed Sam Hentges and Jason Foley, who are both coming off injuries. Hentges has been off to a rough start and Foley has yet to appear in a game.

San Francisco started the season with no named closer and roles largely undefined. The results mirror the disorganization; the bullpen has a 4.54 ERA, fourth worst in the National League. They're largely an unstable bunch with 21 blown leads and six walk-off losses.

It's a far cry from the bullpen that finished last season with a 3.48 ERA, good for fourth best in baseball. Rogers was a pillar of that group, coming in late in games while maintaining a 1.80 ERA over 50 innings with four total walks and three home runs allowed before the Giants shipped him to New York.

A reunion in free agency in the offseason would have made sense. Rogers had been part of the Giants organization since he was drafted in 2013, and the Giants were supposed to be a team built on strong pitching.

Another one-that-got-away lives in the Toronto clubhouse, too. The Blue Jays took former Giants pitching prospect Spencer Miles in this winter's Rule 5 draft despite him not pitching above the Class-A minor league level. He jumped right to the big leagues with Toronto and has been a revelation, earning a 2.83 ERA over 54 innings.

The Giants season hasn't gone anywhere close to planned and Rogers, meantime, has moved on.

"It's been great in Toronto for me and my family," he said. "It's been a really easy transition. Couldn't be happier I landed here."

Roster moves: The Giants added pitching depth to their minor league ranks on Monday, picking up right-handed pitcher Eric Cerantola off waivers from the Kansas City Royals and optioning him to Triple-A Sacramento.

Cerantola appeared in four games with the Royals, allowing six runs (including two homers) over 5⅓ innings with seven strikeouts and 10 walks.

Injury updates:Lefty reliever Matt Gage underwent an MRI on his strained left elbow and will get a second opinion on the results from Dr. Ken Akizuki, the team announced. Righty Keaton Winn, on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain, is likely to return to the bullpen during the weekend series against the Colorado Rockies, manager Tony Vitello said.

Foley, rehabbing right shoulder surgery all this year, may return sometime after this homestand. Foley has an 8.04 ERA over 17 rehab appearances.

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This article originally published at San Francisco return brings fond recollections for ex-Giant Tyler Rogers.

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