Buster Posey is confident that the Giants are in a good place with their closer situation and the fluidity it allows.
The San Francisco president of baseball operations was asked about the Giants' recent change at closer, with Camilo Doval slotting into the position and Ryan Walker moving back to a set-up role.
“I read something yesterday where Bob [Melvin] said [the closer spot] was a fluid situation and it kind of took the words out of my mouth,” Posey said Thursday on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus.”
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SIGN UP HERE “The nice thing about having Doval and Walker is you feel like you could insert either one of them in the ninth [inning] and they’re going to do a nice job for you. The amount of close games that we play. Right now, the save situations can be Doval, but there’s a real chance that we’re sitting here on Sunday saying, ‘Doval has closed out the last two games, we need Walker to close out the ninth.’
“So, those guys have shown a real willingness to pitch in whatever role [Bob Melvin] decides.”
With the Giants recently finding themselves in a lot of close, low-scoring games, there has been added stress on the bullpen to shut down opposing teams and close out games.
Melvin elected to make the move earlier this week, reinstating Doval to the closer role for the first time since August 2024. Walker had filled in admirably, but he had recently begun to struggle with his command. With 10 saves and a 4.95 ERA this season, the 29-year-old no longer was performing at the level needed for San Francisco to remain in contention in a loaded National League West.
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Doval has looked significantly better in recent months, so the hope is that he can continue to regain his All-Star caliber form.
Still, Posey and the Giants know how unpredictable baseball can be, so expect San Francisco to keep its closer situation fluid and dictated by what’s happening in the game.