SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants haven’t officially ruled out Willy Adames for the remainder of the season, but it’s becoming increasingly likely he won’t play another game this year.

The team announced on Thursday afternoon that Adames received a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, which confirmed the diagnosis of a left UCL sprain. Adames will rest and rehab after getting a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection Thursday night, and the team noted that typical recovery takes 3-4 weeks. With exactly a month remaining, Adames’ second season as a Giant might be over.

“If you’re going to abide by that timeline, you just look at the calendar and see where it puts you,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said. “He could press to come back the last week of the year, maybe at best. I don’t know how reasonable or realistic that is, but it’s also somewhat pointless to talk about at this point because we’ll have to see how that rest serves him.”

While Vitello said it would be an option for Adames to DH if he returns, he quickly added that “you start to get into risk [versus] reward.”

Given that Adames’ back has also given him fits for months, it makes more sense for the Giants to shut him down for the rest of the year opposed to rushing a comeback in a lost season.

“There’s other guys that need to do that too, and get some at-bats,” Vitello said. “We’ll see who we add here shortly, but always an option if you’re going to look to limit issues. But again, it’s not his throwing arm, so you’re really just saving body wear and tear as opposed to trying to avoid anything there.”

When asked if surgery was still on the table, Vitello responded that the “PRP should do the trick for him, as well as rest.”

Adames, who turns 31 next week, sustained the injury on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox when he slid home and collided with catcher Connor Wong. Adames remained in the game, had two more at-bats before being lifted. On Monday, Adames became the latest in a long list of players to land on the injured list, the first time he’s hit the shelf since May 2023.

Along with Adames, catcher/utilityman Jesús Rodríguez experienced a setback in his recovery from right elbow neuritis and will see a specialist in Dallas.

Rodríguez, who landed on the injured list on Aug. 1, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Aug. 23 but only played one game with the River Cats.

“It’s tough, especially for me knowing that there’s a lot of opportunity to show what I can do to help this team for next year,” Rodríguez said. “It’s tough to have to be so close to being back, and now, maybe the season is over. We don’t know yet, but it’s probably the most sure thing.”

Additionally, right-hander Adrian Houser underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a right flexor strain. Houser will discuss his rehab plans with Dr. Ken Akizuki.

“Right now, we’re playing it by ear,” Houser said. “Going to be taking some rest. That’s about as far as we’ve got right now. I’m going to take a few days off, see how it feels and re-evaluate.”

Minasian comes under fire in defense of bullpen

The morning after the Giants’ historic ninth-inning collapse, general manager Zack Minasian was asked on KNBR’s “The Murph and Markus Show” whether the front office is “hellbent” on rebuilding the bullpen.

“The ninth inning obviously has been a huge issue. Our bullpen ERA, when you take out the ninth inning — I think the last time I looked was a couple of days ago — is sixth in baseball.”

The fact that Minasian presented is correct. Entering Thursday, the Giants’ bullpen is sixth in ERA (3.75) if you exclude the ninth inning (and extra innings).

That said, the bullpen is also responsible for the ninth inning, and in the ninth, San Francisco’s bullpen has a 6.19 ERA, the second-worst in the majors. The team’s 4.23 bullpen ERA ranks 19th in the majors.

Minasian didn’t deny that there have been problems in the ninth inning, and his larger point was that the Giants have solid relievers who can be part of a good bullpen. But in pointing out a cherry-picked stat, the Giants’ general manager drew the ire of the fan base.

Worth noting

— Bryce Eldridge returned from the bereavement list, and infielder Buddy Kennedy was designated for assignment.

— Victor Bericoto (right knee bone bruise) began light baseball activity Thursday. He’ll continue over the weekend.

— JT Brubaker (bruised ribs) will begin a light throwing program this weekend.

— Marcelo Mayer (right foot bone bruise) has been doing light activity this week. He will meet with team doctors to see if he can continue his rehab.

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