The Giants welcomed back Camilo Doval Saturday.
An All-Star closer in 2022, Doval was optioned to Sacramento on Aug. 9 after a run of ineffective outings saw his earned run average balloon to 4.70 and included five blown saves.
Doval is available out of the bullpen as the Giants visit the Seattle Mariners after losing 6-5 in 10 innings Friday night.
In five games with the River Cats, Doval was 1-0 with a 3.18 earned run average with one walk and seven strikeouts. Given that Doval had walked 29 batters in 44 innings this season, the reduced walk total is considered encouraging.
“We were just hoping that he understood what was going on and realized this is an opportunity for him to tighten things up,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters before the game. “There’s always the possibility anybody could go down and feel a little bit betrayed. It was anything but. He worked on these things. I give him a lot of credit for a guy that was an All-Star last year to take this time to really be productive.”
The Giants announced the move before Saturday’s game against Seattle.
With closer Ryan Walker likely unavailable after throwing 25 pitches and two innings Friday night, Doval could wind up closing if necessary.
Last season, Doval led the National League with 39 saves in 69 appearances and was a member of the N.L. All-Star team.
Landon Roupp was optioned to Sacramento to make room for Doval.
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