LAS VEGAS — The Giants used 21 different pitchers in September, filling innings with waiver claims and rookies as they tried to make it through Game 162 and find out more about potential 2027 options. But sometimes who you don’t see can be just as notable. Ryan Walker didn’t appear in the big leagues after Sept. 3, finishing his season with four Triple-A appearances. It’s not an outcome anyone could have imagined a year ago, when Walker was viewed as a potential closer for a front office trying to rebuild the bullpen without going big in free agency.
Walker did record the first save of the Giants season, but he gave up a couple of runs that day and never got right. He finished with three saves, all over the first month, and ended up getting optioned three times. Over 33 appearances, he had a 7.16 ERA and 1.81 WHIP.
Walker survived the front office’s initial roster purge after the World Series and remains on the 40-man. But he’s coming off a nightmare season, and it’s unclear where he fits as the Giants again try to fix their bullpen.
“I’m a big fan of just Ryan Walker the person. I think he...