The San Francisco Giants claimed right-handed reliever Joel Kuhnel off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. To make room on the 40-man roster, Jesús Rodríguez was transferred to the 60-day IL.You’ve seen a transaction log like that before. And if you’re paying cash to read a website about sports, there’s a good chance you understand it.However, you might also just like watching the games and following the team, with no time or patience for technical details and roster minutiae.As a die-hard Golden State Warriors fan, I can remember things like where I was when Mike Dunleavy Jr. threw his jersey into the stands, but I will never, ever learn what a “second apron” is. Anyone who tries to teach me will instantly become my mortal enemy.However, the Giants are going to make you think about the 40-man roster over the next couple of months. Possibly a lot. It will be worth paying attention to.So let’s start at the beginning. The official definition of a 40-man roster, from Major League Baseball:In order for a club to add a player to the 26-man roster, the player must be on the 40-man roster. If a club with a full 40-man roster wishes to promote a Minor League player that is not on the 40-man roster, it must first remove a player from the 40-man roster — either by designating a player’s contract for assignment, trading a player, releasing a player or transferring a player to the 60-day injured list.If a player is in the majors, he’s on the 40-man roster. If the roster has 40 players and the team wants to add someone else, they have to remove someone. Removing them from the roster, though, opens up the possibility that the player will be lost on waivers. This is how Marco Luciano left the Giants organization.However, if a player is placed on the 60-day IL during the season, he no longer counts toward the 40-man roster.The Giants essentially gained an extra 40-man roster spot when they placed Carson Whisenhunt on the 60-day IL. Assuming the Giants remain committed to keeping him, he can be placed on the 60-day IL again next season, while he’s still recovering from Tommy John surgery.Even though he will miss at least a year recovering from Tommy John surgery, Carson Whisenhunt will need to be added back to the active 40-man roster during the offseason. (Bob Kupbens / Imagn Images)It’s the offseason that’s going to make things tricky for the Giants, though. There is no 60-day IL in the offseason, so Whisenhunt will have to be added back onto the active 40-man roster for a few months. So will … a lot of players.There’s no IL database, unfortunately, but I’d be shocked if the 2026 Giants aren’t setting a record for most 60-day IL usage. They’re definitely tops in the majors this year: