Manager Bruce Bochy indicated Tuesday that Melancon (forearm) will enter the 2018 season as the Giants' closer, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The Giants signed Melancon to a four-year, $62 million contract this offseason to be their long-term closer, but the veteran reliever was displaced from the ninth-inning role as he battled a myriad of elbow and forearm issues throughout the season. Despite the rocky 2017 campaign, Melancon will be reinserted into the closer role next season. He's a prime candidate to put together a solid bounce-back performance, assuming he's fully healthy.