Weekend Minor League roundup (2024)

A whole lot of weekend action for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates! Let’s jump into it all!

Link to the 2024 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game.

News

The Giants have not said anything, but according to a report from Twitter account Guardians Perspective, AAA Sacramento LHP Raymond Burgos has been called up to the Majors. The Giants are likely facing a handful of bullpen games in the coming days, so a little extra depth is needed.

Update: The Giants have now announced the Burgos news, and have DFA’d first baseman Trenton Brooks.

A few minor transactions. Shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 27 CPL) and catcher Jack Payton had both been rehabbing in the ACL after sustaining early-season injuries. Neither player had been playing particularly well in their pre-injury assignment — Ahuna with Low-A San Jose and Payton with High-A Eugene. And so, with their rehab stints now complete, the Giants have decided to keep them developing further in the Arizona, as both hitters have been assigned to the ACL.

In continued emergency promotion news, High-A Eugene RHPs Hunter Dula and Julio Rodriguez have been sent to AAA Sacramento to fill in.

The full injury report is at the end of the article, where you can find it every Monday, but I did want to make note of two things: at some point, AAA Sacramento LHP Chris Wright and outfielder Yusniel Díaz were shifted to the full-season IL.

And in happy news, AA Richmond shortstop Christian Koss was named Player of the Week in the Eastern League!

AAA Sacramento (44-31)

Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Round Rock Express (Rangers) 6-3 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Round Rock Express 5-4 [box score]

The big story in Sacramento was the flock of high-profile players sent to rehab on Sunday, which came with mixed results. LHP Blake Snell got the start and things did not go as well. Snell labored through just 1.2 innings, needing 51 pitches while giving up 3 hits, 3 walks, and 2 runs, with no strikeouts. Most worrisome, however, were his post-game comments, which made it clear that he is A) in need of at least one and preferably a few more rehab outings, and B) not pleased with how the organization has handled this.

Things were much smoother for LHP Robbie Ray, who gave up just 1 hit (a ball lost in the sun) and 1 walk in 2.1 shutout innings, with 2 strikeouts, while providing comments that were the opposite of Snell’s. Ray is still not expected to return until after the All-Star break, but with how awful the rotation has been this year, it’s not too early to start that countdown.

Also rehabbing on the mound was RHP Austin Warren, who pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Warren is not the high-profile pitcher that Ray and Snell are, but he also wasn’t beginning his AAA rehab, as this was his 3rd outing with the River Cats, and he’s allowed just 1 hit and 0 walks in 3 innings. He looks close to being able to help the Major League bullpen, which would be great.

Joining the rehab party was designated hitter LaMonte Wade Jr., who started his rehab assignment. Wade hit 0-1 and drew 3 walks (a very Wade performance) before being lifted from the game. The Giants desperately need the return of Wade, who has been a cornerstone of their offense this year, but they also need to make sure he’s healthy. So I have no clue how long this rehab assignment will last.

The non-rehabbing players had a remarkably quiet weekend. The struggles continue for shortstop/second baseman Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL), who hit 0-8 with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. I know Giants fans are clamoring to see Not Nick Ahmed take at-bats, but since returning from injury, Luciano (who was not exactly tearing things up before injury) is just 7-38 with 1 double, 6 walks, and 18 strikeouts. Yikes!

I remain less concerned than most with the strikeout numbers, but the lack of power with Luciano this year feels like a bit of a red flag. The exit velocity numbers are down, and his isolated slugging of .066 ranks 125th out of 128 Pacific Coast League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year. Oh dear! It’s also of note that Luciano played second base in Sunday’s game. We’d really only see him play off shortstop this year to accommodate Ahmed’s rehab, but that’s no longer the case. It’s unclear whether the Giants are A) just trying to get more reps at shortstop for other players closer to the bigs, B) experimenting with a position change, C) trying to get him comfortable elsewhere so he has more paths to the Majors, especially since Thairo Estrada was in a lot of pain during Sunday’s game, or D) a little bit of each.

Left fielder Hunter Bishop reached base a bit over the weekend, hitting 2-8 and getting hit by 2 pitches, while also stealing a base. I don’t think he’s played himself into consideration for a Major League roster spot, but he might be playing himself into Rule 5 rostering.

RHP Kai-Wei Teng (No. 23 CPL) started Saturday’s game and it was one of his better outings of the year, which isn’t saying much, unfortunately. Teng gave up just 5 hits and 0 walks, but 3 runs in 4.2 innings, while striking out 5. That’s a big step in the right direction with how poorly his season has gone across the board.

AA Richmond (34-35)

Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox) 8-7 (10 innings) [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Portland Sea Dogs 2-1 [box score]

It was all about the starting pitching this week for the Squirrels. And on Saturday we were treated to one of the best pitching performances of the year in the system, courtesy of one RHP Carson Ragsdale (No. 32 CPL).

By now you know the spiel with Ragsdale: he has one of the most talented arms in the system, but the 2020 4th-round pick — acquired in the Sam Coonrod trade — has struggled to stay healthy, pitching just 33.1 innings across 2022 and 2023.

We’re thankfully seeing a healthy Ragsdale this year and, as a result, we’re seeing all lthe talent on display. Saturday was perhaps the shiniest example yet, as Ragsdale struck out 10 of the 24 batters he faced, en route to 6 strong innings in which he allowed just 4 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, and 1 earned run. Ragsdale, who now has a 3.49 ERA, a 3.99 FIP, and 12.09 strikeouts per 9 innings (2nd among 54 Eastern League pitchers with at least 40 innings thrown), has really been finding his groove in June. In 4 starts this month, the 26 year old has 22.2 innings and given up just 13 hits, 7 walks, and 4 earned runs, with 31 strikeouts. Perhaps the Giants will want to see the walks come down a little before a promotion to Sacramento, but ... that’s about all that’s left for Ragsdale to improve.

Not to be outdone, RHP Nick Sinacola shined in Sunday’s start, also pitching 6 strong innings and giving up just 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run, while striking out 6 batters. What a start for the 2021 7th-round pick, who is really shining this year. After a slightly-disappointing 2023 in High-A, Sinacola was dominant when asked to repeat the level this year, and since getting promoted he has been just as good. In 4 starts with the Squirrels, the 24 year old has given up just 15 hits, 6 walks, and 7 earned runs in 20.1 innings, with 24 strikeouts. The Giants are surely enamored with Sinacola’s control — he walked just 1.56 batters per 9 innings this year in Eugene, and has just 2.66 so far in Richmond. He is definitely emerging as a player to keep a close eye one.

Sunday’s bullpen was elite, as Sinacola’s outing was followed by shutout innings from LHP Nick Swiney and RHPs José Cruz and Tyler Myrick, and all 3 were in need of some good days. Swiney gave up a hit while recording a strikeout, lowering his ERA to 4.82 and his FIP to 4.84; Cruz struck out all 3 batters he faced, dipping his sky-high ERA to 10.13 and his FIP to 5.70; and Myrick pitched a perfect frame with a strike, lowering his ERA to 5.14 and his FIP to 4.06.

Cruz now has 3 straight sensational outings, during which times he’s pitched 3 innings and allowed just 1 hit, 1 walk, and 0 runs, with 8 strikeouts. It hasn’t been a good season for Cruz, but he has been flashing reminders as to just how much talent is in his arm ... and why the Giants rostered him in 2022 (though he’s since been non-tendered). Even going back to some of Cruz’s tough outings, he’s been on an absolute strikeout tear lately: in his last 10 games, the 24 year old has 26 strikeouts in just 11 innings. That’s kind of ridiculous!

Speaking of players having tough seasons but with a lot of life in their arm, RHP Eric Silva (No. 41 CPL) had another ERA-lowering outing, though it wasn’t his cleanest work, as he gave up 2 hits and 2 walks in 2 shutout innings, with 2 strikeouts. He only has a 5.58 ERA and a 5.21 FIP, but keeps showing flashes.

On offense, the most notable news was bad news. Catcher Adrián Sugastey (No. 25 CPL) was hit by a pitch on Saturday, and removed from the game. Haven’t heard anything, but he didn’t play on Sunday. Hopefully he’s back in the lineup when Richmond returns to action on Tuesday.

Right fielder/center fielder Carter Howell had a nice weekend, hitting 4-8 with a triple, a walk, 2 strikeouts, and 2 stolen bases. Despite not showing much power — his .115 isolated slugging ranks 86th out of 135 Eastern Leaugers with at least 100 plate appearances — Howell is having a very nice season, with a .764 OPS and a 118 wRC+. He’s still sitting at a delightful strikeout rate of just 19.4%, and has never had a season in the 20s yet.

A great Saturday for shortstop Christian Koss, who hit a perfect 3-3 with a double and a hit by pitch. That was a good enough day to make it a great weekend, even though he went 0-3 on Sunday. The sample size is still at just 19 games in AA, but to say Koss has been impressing would be an understatement: he has a 1.158 OPS, a 218 wRC+, a microscopic 12.9% strikeout rate, and 6 stolen bases. Yes, the BABIP is .481 but the numbers are absurd enough that regression there will still leave him in a delightful place.

First baseman Brady Whalen only hit 2-9 with 4 strikeouts, but had his 1st homer of the year. Hooray for Bradys!

High-A Eugene (33-35)

Saturday: Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane (Rockies) 7-0 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane 3-0 [box score]

Well, a fairly awful weekend for the Emeralds. They had just 10 hits (9 of which were singles) and 4 walks all weekend, and the pitching wasn’t much better. The star of the weekend was LHP Jack Choate (No. 31 CPL), who started Sunday’s game. Choate, who is quickly emerging as one of the most exciting starting pitchers in the system, pitched 5 strong innings with just 4 hits and 1 walk allowed, with 2 runs and just 1 earned run, though he only struck out 1 batter. Perhaps as an homage to Logan Webb, or proving that he belongs in a long line of great Giants starters, Choate picked up the loss in the game ... and now has more losses than wins despite having just a 2.18 ERA and a 2.87 FIP.

With those numbers — plus 9.6 strikeouts per 9 innings and just 1.6 walks per 9 — it feels safe to assume that Choate will probably be flying across the country to join Richmond at some point this summer.

Starting Saturday’s game was RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 20 CPL), who was making a rehab appearance. He got rocked a little, giving up 6 baserunners and 2 runs in 3.1 innings, though he struck out 6 batters. McDonald, who was rostered over the offseason, still has some rust after missing Spring Training and the start of the year with an injury, and that’s on display with the walks and the hard contact. But the strikeout stuff is certainly there: since moving his rehab from Arizona to Eugene, McDonald has 19 strikeouts in just 12.2 innings.

The offense was really bad, but at least second baseman Quinn McDaniel stole a base after I spent a paragraph wondering why he’d stopped stealing bases. And speaking of stolen bases, center fielder Turner Hill had the only notable offensive performance, hitting 3-7 with a double, a walk, no strikeouts, and 2 stolen bases. He’s up to a .797 OPS and a 134 wRC+, with just a 10.1% strikeout rate and 14 stolen bases in 19 attempts.

Low-A San Jose (39-29)

Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 4-2 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants lost to the Modesto Nuts 2-1 [box score]

A really nice start on Sunday for RHP Josh Bostick, who is starting to come into his own. The team’s 8th-round pick in 2023 had one of his best starts on Sunday, pitching 3 shutout innings with just 1 baserunner (a single) and 5 strikeouts. Dominance, albeit in just 3 innings.

Bostick struggled out of the gates, but is starting to find a groove. He’s given up just 4 hits and 4 runs in 13 innings over his last 3 starts (albeit with 6 walks), and has just a 3.18 ERA in June ... after sporting a 6.86 ERA in May, and a 5.17 ERA in April.

Following him up and finishing off Sunday’s game was RHP Ubert Mejias, who continued his under-the-radar season. Mejias gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, and 1 earned run in 5 strong innings, striking out 3. After a tough start to the year, Mejias — pitching in just his 2nd professional season and 1st in A-Ball — has really settled in. Most impressive is how much he has cut walks out of his diet. Check it out:

First 7 starts: 30.1 innings, 30 hits, 12 walks, 20 runs, 16 earned runs, 20 strikeouts
Next 7 starts: 35.2 innings, 32 hits, 3 walks, 14 runs, 10 earned runs, 29 strikeouts

Always love to see that sort of progression.

RHP Shane Rademacher also had a nice start, as on Saturday he gave up just 5 baserunners in 4.1 innings, with 1 run and 5 strikeouts. Rademacher, who now has a 3.65 ERA and a 4.19 FIP, with 51 strikeouts to 11 walks in 44.1 innings, was in need of a good outing after getting rocked his last time out.

Third baseman Charlie Szykowny continues to pile up the hits, as he went 3-8 with 2 doubles, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Szykowny has hit safely in 15 of the last 16 games he’s played in, and has a .797 OPS and a 115 wRC+. Not bad stuff for a player taken in the 9th round a year ago!

A great Saturday for left fielder Scott Bandura, who hit 2-5 with a triple, a double, and a strikeout before getting Sunday off. After a tough April, Bandura has been sensational in May and June, and in his last 19 games is 24-76 with 1 triple, 7 doubles, 10 walks, and 16 strikeouts. Keep it up, Scott!

ACL Giants (19-18)

Saturday: ACL Giants beat the ACL D-backs 3-0 [box score]

A dominant pitching game, and all 5 arms that the ACL Giants used deserve a little recognition, so let’s rifle through them. Starting things off was RHP Landen Roupp (No. 18 CPL) who made his 2nd rehab appearance after a month on the sidelines, and wasted no time reminding you that he is a pitcher who should be in AAA or the Majors, not short-season ball.

In his 1st rehab appearance, Roupp struck out the side in a scoreless inning, with just a hit allowed. He took it a step further this time, giving up just 1 hit in 2 scoreless frames, while striking out 5 batters. Hopefully he’s ready to head back to Sacramento.

Next up was RHP Timmy Manning (22 years, 2023 12th-round) who made his season debut. Manning, who only pitched 4 innings last year after getting drafted (but was great in them), gave up 1 hit in a scoreless inning, with a strikeout. Welcome back, Timmy!

Then it was RHP Billy Sullivan, who struck out all 3 batters he faced. While not technically on a rehab assignment, Sullivan has been getting up to speed ever since the Giants signed him to a Minor League deal ... he’d been playing in AAA for the A’s system before getting released, so I’m sure he’s headed for the upper Minors soon.

Next out of the pen was RHP Mikell Manzano (21 years, 2019 international signing) who pitched 4.1 shutout innings with just 2 hits allowed, while striking out 5. A nice bounceback performance from him after getting rocked his last time out, and he now has a 3.03 ERA and 4.80 FIP.

Finishing things off was RHP Elijah Pleasants (24 years, 2024 undrafted free agent), the player the Giants recently signed from the Oakland Ballers. Pleasants made his Minor League debut and retired 2 of the 3 batters he faced, with just a walk allowed. Welcome, Elijah!

A pair of nice performances on offense, on an otherwise dead day with the bats (they had just 3 hits). First baseman Derwin Laya (20 years, 2021 international signing) had the big hit, going 1-4 with a solo home run. Laya hasn’t flashed much power this year — that was his 1st homer and just his 4th extra-base hit in 103 plate appearances — but he has a .274 batting average and just a 19.4% strikeout rate, so there’s a lot to like there. Unfortunately, it’s his 3rd pass through the ACL and he’s still struggling (.667 OPS, 74 wRC+).

And catcher Juan Perez (19 years, 2022 international signing) hit 2-3 with a walk. There are warning signs for Perez, who has just 1 extra-base hit in 65 plate appearances and a 30.8% strikeout rate, but a year after having a .556 OPS and a 48 wRC+ in his ACL debut, he has a .776 OPS and a 116 wRC+.

Right fielder Rayner Arias (No. 5 CPL, 18 years, 2023 international signing) played in his 3rd game of the year and hit 0-2 with a walk, a strikeout, and a stolen base, while center fielder Wade Meckler (No. 11 CPL) hit 0-4 as he continues his rehab.

DSL Black (12-3)

Saturday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Cardinals 2-1 (7 innings) [box score]

After opening the year with 12 consecutive victories, the Giants Black team has lost 3 straight. Oh no! The system is falling apart!

Jokes aside, there’s not much to highlight. On offense there were decent days by right fielder Angel Guzman (18 years, 2023 international signing), who hit 0-1 with 2 walks, a strikeout, and a caught stealing, and now has a 1.331 OPS and a 225 wRC+, and designated hitter Evan Estevez (16 years, 2024 international signing), who hit 2-3 to bump his debut season OPS to .792 and his wRC+ to 111.

The pitching was good-not-great, and handled by RHPs Alexander Fuentes (19 years, 2023 international signing) and Jose Meza (18 years, 2023 international signing). Both pitchers continued strong debut seasons, with Fuentes allowing 5 baserunners and 1 run in 3 innings of work, with 2 strikeouts, while Meza gave up 4 baserunners and 1 unearned run in 3 innings, with 2 strikeouts. Fuentes now has a 2.16 ERA and a 5.34 FIP, while Meza has a 1.69 ERA and a 5.57 FIP.

DSL Orange (8-6)

Saturday: DSL Giants Orange lost to the DSL NYY Bombers 5-4 (7 innings) [box score]

Not much pitching to speak of, and honestly, not much offense to speak of either. But a few players had nice days in the batter’s box, starting with a funny day from the leadoff hitter, left fielder Luis Frias (19 years, 2021 international signing). Frias hit 1-2, was hit by 2 pitches, and stole 2 bases, which bumped his OPS to .795 and his wRC+ to 112, with 5 stolen bases in 6 attempts.

Second baseman Yoxander Benitez (17 years, 2024 international signing) hit 2-3 and also stole a base, and the debuting righty now has a .710 OPS and a 93 wRC+, with 2 stolen bases in as many attempts.

And rounding things out was first baseman Albert Jimenez (17 years, 2024 international signing), who hit 0-1 but drew 3 walks. Jimenez has a .738 OPS and a 90 wRC+ in his 1st professional season.

Home run tracker

AA Brady Whalen (1)
ACL Elian Rayo (1)

Injured List

Here are all the prospects currently on the IL or any other cannot-perform list.

Sacramento

OF Yusniel Díaz — Full-Season IL
RHP Blayne Enlow — Full-Season IL
LHP Chris Wright — Full-Season IL
INF Dariel Lopez — 60-Day IL
OF Chase Pinder — 60-Day IL
LHP Thomas Szapucki — 60-Day IL
RHP Cole Waites (No. 34 CPL) — 60-Day IL
LHP Reggie Crawford (No. 8 CPL) — 7-Day IL
RHP R.J. Dabovich (No. 40 CPL) — 7-Day IL
OF Ryan McKenna — 7-Day IL
OF Wade Meckler (No. 11 CPL) — 7-Day IL (on a rehab assignment)
RHP Landen Roupp (No. 18 CPL) — 7-Day IL (on a rehab assignment)
LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 36 CPL) — 7-Day IL

Richmond

OF Vaun Brown (No. 17 CPL) — Development List
RHP Blake Rivera — Full-Season IL
LHP Nick Zwack — Full-Season IL
RHP Michael Stryffeler — 60-Day IL
OF Allan Cerda — 7-Day IL
RHP Matt Frisbee — 7-Day IL
RHP Will Kempner — 7-Day IL
RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 20 CPL) — 7-Day IL (on a rehab assignment)
RHP Ryan Murphy — 7-Day IL
OF Alerick Soularie — 7-Day IL
1B Logan Wyatt — 7-Day IL

Eugene

RHP Brett Standlee — Full-Season IL
SS Aeverson Arteaga (No. 14 CPL) — 60-Day IL
OF Jared Dupere — 7-Day IL
LHP Hayden Wynja — 7-Day IL

San Jose

RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 26 CPL) — Full-Season IL
RHP Sam Bower — 60-Day IL
RHP Marques Johnson — 60-Day IL
RHP Spencer Miles — 60-Day IL (on a rehab assignment)
RHP Liam Simon — 60-Day IL (on a rehab assignment)
OF Bo Davidson — 7-Day IL
RHP Cale Lansville — 7-Day IL
RHP Kanoa Pagan — 7-Day IL

Arizona Complex League

RHP Luis Bermudez — Full-Season IL
RHP Nicolas Herold — Full-Season IL
RHP Chen-Hsun Lee — Full-Season IL
RHP Melvin Pineda — Full-Season IL
OF Samuel Reyes — Full-Season IL