On the surface, what the San Francisco Giants did on Friday felt small.

The Giants announced that they claimed right-handed pitcher Joel Kuhnel was claimed off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. That was a Major League move, so the Giants needed to create a spot on the 40-man roster.

Instead of designating a player for assignment and exposing him to waivers, the Giants moved catcher Jesus Rodriguez to the 60-day injured list, which ends his season. But it did create a 40-man roster spot — at least until after the World Series ends.

That gives the Giants time to figure out if Kuhnel, a 31-year-old who played his college baseball at UT Arlington, to figure out if Kuhnel is worth keeping long-term.

Why Giants Claimed Joel Kuhnel

Kuhnel has pitched for both the Athletics and the Brewers this season and has a 1-3 record with a 4.84 ERA in 35 games. This is the second time he’s made at least 30 appearances in a season. Back in 2022 with Cincinnati, he appeared in 53 games with a 2.3 record and a 6.36 ERA. He had one save and five holds that year.

The right-hander has made 117 MLB appearances since he broke in during the 2019 season with the Reds as he is 5-6 with a 5.58. He hasn’t always been consistently in the Majors. He missed all the 2021 and 2025 seasons. He also made fewer than 10 appearances in 2020, 2023 and 2024.

A shoulder injury kept him out for the 2021 season, and he failed to earn a call-up in the Phillies and Yankees organizations in 2025.

So why have the Giants gambled on a waiver claim? San Francisco does need relief arms, whether it’s at the MLB level or at Triple-A Sacramento. He has not been optioned, per his MLB.com page, so he appears headed to the bullpen. That gives him a month to show San Francisco that he’s worth a 40-man roster spot next spring.

There will be a squeeze. After the World Series, the Giants have only a few days to return their players on the 60-day injured list to the 40-man roster by rule. San Francisco has 15 players on the 60-day IL now. Those players either must be returned to the 40-man roster or be released.

That can impact Kuhnel. It could also impact Rodriguez. The right-handed hitting catcher was acquired last year in the Camilo Doval trade with the New York Yankees. He made his MLB debut earlier this year and slashed .235/.316/.412 with two home runs and eight RBI. San Francisco moved him to the 10-day IL on Aug. 1 with right elbow neuritis.

San Francisco will have some major decisions to make after the season. Kuhnel and Rodriguez just became two of them.