Ty Blach‘s role with the San Francisco Giants has been constantly evolving this season. He entered Spring Training in 2017 with an opportunity to beat out Matt Cain for the fifth starter’s spot in the rotation, and he pitched well enough to put him in serious consideration. An injury changed that.
When reliever Will Smith was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery in March, what the team needed from Blach shifted. A spot in the bullpen for a left-hander opened up, and with Josh Osich struggling to the point that Triple-A became the only reasonable destination to start the year, Blach was shifted to the bullpen.