Giants Acquire Joel Kuhnel from Brewers
The San Francisco Giants have claimed right-handed pitcher Joel Kuhnel off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee had designated Kuhnel for assignment earlier this week.
With a full 40-man roster, the Giants will need to make a corresponding move to accommodate Kuhnel, potentially by transferring Marcelo Mayer to the 60-day injured list. Kuhnel, who is 31 years old, has previously played for several teams, including the Reds, Astros, Rays, Athletics, and Brewers, and has a career earned run average of 5.58 over 129 innings in the majors.
Despite his struggles at the big league level, Kuhnel has shown promise in the minors, posting a 3.08 ERA over 119 2/3 innings in Triple-A since 2024. This season, he has pitched 35 1/3 innings with a 4.84 ERA. After a recent rehab assignment with Milwaukee, where he recorded a 1.64 ERA in 11 Triple-A innings, he was designated for assignment. The Giants will have the opportunity to evaluate Kuhnel in the remaining weeks of the season, as he is under team control for four more years and will not be eligible for arbitration until after 2027.
