On the surface, it's a 15-day injured list to move for San Francisco Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt for a left elbow sprain. But his season is likely over.

The Giants made the move on Whisenhunt before Tuesday's game with the Cincinnati Reds, calling up a right-hander Spencer Bivens to take his place on the roster.

But it was what the Giants announced to reporters, including NBC Sports Bay Area, right before the official move that likely means Whisenhunt is done for 2026 and perhaps 2027.

The Giants announced he didn't just have a sprained left elbow but that he had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. The UCL is the ligament associated with Tommy John surgery.

The Giants also announced that surgery was recommended. If he opts for surgery, that means he'll be on the shelf for at least a year, depending upon the type of surgery he has. If it's a full Tommy John reconstruction, he could be out for 18 months.

Carson Whisenhunt’s Lost Opportunity

The Giants recalled the left-hander from Triple-A Sacramento in late July with the idea that the second-round pick from the 2022 MLB draft would get the opportunity to prove that he should be part of the starting rotation in 2027.

In four starts this month he was 1-2 with a 6.49 ERA with 10 strikeouts and nine walks in 15.2 innings. His last start on Aug. 24 saw him go just 2.2 innings, giving up two hits and one walk against three strikeouts before he left the game with elbow discomfort. He had an MRI on Tuesday.

This makes Whisenhunt the third Giants starter to be lost to a major elbow injury this season. The giants lost Hayden Birdsong earlier this season and then lost Trevor McDonald after the All-Star break.

Those are three pitchers that president of baseball operations Buster Posey had hoped would be a part of his team's future rotation. Now, it’s possible all three won’t be full strength until the 2028 season. It also means Posey and his staff will have to look to free agency again this offseason to fill out a rotation behind Logan Webb.

Whisenhunt made his debut last season and went 2-1 with a 5.01 ERA in five starts for the Giants. He didn't make the opening day roster this season but was recalled from Sacramento for the first time on June 17. From there he bounced back and forth twice before sticking with the Giants last month.

That was supposed to be his chance to shine period now, everyone will likely have to wait at least a year or more to see if he has the goods to make the rotation.