SAN DIEGO -- The Giants’ bullpen depth took a hit after right-hander José Buttó was forced to depart the club’s 7-1 loss to the Padres on Wednesday with right elbow/forearm tightness.
Buttó entered the game in the bottom of the eighth inning with the Giants down, 3-1, but he allowed San Diego to break the game open by giving up four runs on three hits and four walks while recording only one out.
More concerningly, Buttó’s velocity noticeably dipped during the rough outing, with his sinker averaging 91.5 mph, down from his season average of 93.8 mph.
Buttó threw 28 pitches -- only eight for strikes -- before departing the game alongside a Giants trainer. He went straight into the clubhouse after walking off the field and is expected to undergo further evaluation when the Giants return to San Francisco to open a seven-game homestand against the Mets and Phillies on Thursday.
“All I know is there is clearly tightness,” manager Tony Vitello said. “He wasn’t throwing the ball as well as possible the whole time.
“That’s kind of a gloomy cloud over everything. You always fear for the worst, but you always hope for the best, too. Obviously, we’ve got as good a people as there are to work with him. Hopefully, everything is going to go down the way that it should for him. He’s obviously a great dude. Heavy concern from his teammates.”
Buttó, 28, was a key bullpen piece for Team Venezuela during its World Baseball Classic title run last month, but he got off to a rocky start to the season for the Giants. He surrendered five runs -- including homers to the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton and the Padres’ Ramón Laureano -- over two innings in his first three appearances this year.
San Francisco is already without Hayden Birdsong (Tommy John surgery), Joel Peguero (left hamstring strain), Reiver Sanmartin (right hip flexor strain) and Sam Hentges (left shoulder surgery), so losing Buttó would only add to its injury woes in the bullpen this year.
If Buttó needs to miss time, the Giants could promote another reliever such as Spencer Bivens, Tristan Beck or the newly acquired Dylan Smith from Triple-A Sacramento ahead of their series opener against the Mets.