Giants pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt will make his Major League debut on Monday as San Francisco’s scheduled starter against the Pirates. The move seemed to be in the cards since Whisenhunt was scratched from a planned Triple-A start on Saturday, and he arrived in the Oracle Park clubhouse today as a member of the Giants’ taxi squad. The corresponding transaction(s) will be announced tomorrow to add the left-hander to both the active roster and the 40-man roster.
Manager Bob Melvin officially confirmed the call-up when speaking with reporters (including Justice delos Santos of the San Jose Mercury News) after tonight’s 5-3 loss to the Mets. “We’ve been waiting for this for a little bit now,” Melvin said. “We thought maybe he’d be here last year, too. He’s our top pitching prospect, I believe. With what’s going on with the injury and [Hayden Birdsong] going down, there’s a need for it.”
Birdsong was optioned to the minors earlier this week, and Landen Roupp was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday due to right elbow inflammation. This dropped the Giants’ rotation down to just Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Justin Verlander, and the club had to deploy a bullpen game for tonight’s contest with New York. The loss was the Giants’ ninth in their last 11 games, and the 54-52 team is now three games back of the Padres for the final NL wild card berth.
Starting pitching is a target area for the Giants as the deadline approaches, but getting some quality results from Whisenhunt at the beginning of his MLB career would be an enormous help for the club. A second-round pick for San Francisco in the 2022 draft, Whisenhunt was garnering top-100 attention prior to a 2024 season that saw him post a 5.42 ERA over 104 2/3 innings at Triple-A Sacramento. Whisenhunt hasn’t been a ton better this year, with a 4.42 ERA in 97 2/3 IP. While the southpaw has reduced his ERA and walk rate, his strikeout rate has also dropped from 28.4% in 2024 to 21% this year.
Pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League could very well be a factor in Whisenhunt’s struggles, yet he’ll face additional challenges by moving up to face big league hitters. Whisenhunt’s signature pitch is a 70-grade changeup that has drawn raves from evaluators, and his 92-94mph fastball is considered a plus pitch with enough sink to overcome somewhat average velocity. That fastball is a little inconsistent, however, which is an issue since the lefty doesn’t have a reliable third pitch in his arsenal. The development of Whisenhunt’s slider could be the determining factor whether or not he can stick as a starting pitcher or if a move to the bullpen could be in his MLB future.
As much as San Francisco’s lack of offense has been the team’s biggest obstacle, the lack of reliable rotation depth behind Webb and Ray is another issue for the playoff push. Adding a veteran arm to support the big two starters would help at the deadline, and is perhaps a more readily fixable problem given how the Giants may not need to add bats as much as they need several of their slumping hitters to get rolling. There’s plenty of opportunity here for Whisenhunt to carve out a niche for himself in the rotation and set himself up for a starting job heading into next season.
Wonder why the Giants didn’t give Mason Black another shot? I know he stunk last year but he’s been just as good as Whisenhunt this year in AAA and he is already on the 40 man roster.
Because who cares about the 40 man roster when there are some many useless players worthy of a DFA? Whisenhunt is an actual prospect.
Problem is not just the injuries to the pitchers and the lack of performance of some of the pitchers; a team needs to get hits and score runs. For that you need players who can generate offense.
The Giants have difficulty in drafting and developing outfielders.
They overpaid and took a financial bath to get Devers.
Chapman is underperforming.
They got screwed on the Adames signing.
The signing of Lee isn’t looking so hot either.
They kept Yastremski after last year and he is on fumes this year.
Matos is a waste of a roster spot.
Their back-up catchers are jokes and castoffs.
They don’t have a regular second baseman and are trying to man the position by committee..
After Wade Cratered they turned to retread Smith to field a first baseman and are now resorting to Devers on occasion; who was such a bad fielder they didn’t even play him at Third when Chapman was out. Now they are trying to spoon feed him into playing first when he got dumped by the Red Sox for not playing that position for them.
Bryce better work out and be ready SOON !!
Their once promising catcher can’t hit his weight.
Time to raise the white flag.
Clean house of the coaches.
Clean house of a BUNCH of players.
Who was the last STAR outfielder that SF developed?
Do we have to go all the way back to Chili Davis? I can’t think of anyone.
Willie Mays
Bryan Reynolds
Might have something to do with that ballpark. The problem with all these teams using the same strategies looking for launch angle hitters is every team doesn’t play at the same park. Show me some teams who have been looking for bats for 5,10,15 years I show you they play in a pitchers park, giants, mariners and royals, guardians always seem to be looking for offence.
Mel Ott?
Last year, Heliot Ramos broke a long drought of home-grown Giant outfielders to make the All-Star team, which went back to Chili Davis.
I still wouldn’t consider him a STAR outfielder, though.
I prefer the Jacksson13 who didn’t quit his day job in making dumb puns, honestly.
Adames has been red hot for over a month, assuming a dude with a very productive track record won’t figure it out is foolish, he’s been fine all things considered.
Chapman, the dude with the elite glove and a plus .800 OPS? Do you even look at the stats or just post off of vibes? “Financial bath” for a top ten hitter in the game in his prime whose move to an easier position will only increase his value if anything?
No one expected the giants to win a World Series this year, the plan was to compete for a third wild card, which they are currently doing.
They’re everyday in their prime players entering next year.
1. Devers
2. Chapman
3. Adames
4. Ramos
5. Bailey
6. Schmidt (most likely, looks to have found it)
7. Lee
That’s not including Eldridge.
Elite bullpen, and young starters including birdsong, Webb, roupp, and whisenhunt, plus their all star lefty.
This team is not that far away from being really in a good place, and with some amount of sustainability.
Are they the dodgers? No, but that’s not the standard, that’s the exception.
Get a grip, the team is in good shape.
Who
Tyler Anderson would be a nice low cost buy for SF. He’ll give you 6 innings and a chance to win most nights.
Then look for someone better as well.
Agreed. Not a sexy pickup- but an innings eater and someone they had back in 2020. I was also thinking that it shouldn’t take much to grab the combo of Springs and Sevy off the Athletics. They could provide some good innings down the stretch.
There have been very few cross Bay, err up I-80 trades. Not super logical but still that’s the history.
I guess it’s good for fan enthusiasm to pick up a deadline acquisition, but it may not be wise. They have to beat out the Padres and the Reds, and hold off the Cards. Forgetting about the Cards, even giving a slightly optimistic 50% chance of beating one of the Padres or the Reds, there is only a 25% chance of beating both of them. At this point in the season you are what your record is (thank you, Bill Parcells). They should hold tight or trade off a player for minor leaguers.
I don’t see the Cards as much of a WC contender, and you left out 2 teams that are much more of one. You have Mets/Phillies, and Cubs/Brewers. One of each will likely win the division, putting the other in the WC race with the Padres and Reds. The Giants have more in common with the Cards than they do with the other teams.
And I agree with you that trading anyone of value, for a rotation piece, would not be wise. The hitting has been the biggest problem. Adding a pitcher doesn’t give them much of a chance, if they still can’t score runs. It’s like having a car that needs a new battery and has 2 flat tires. Replacing the battery isn’t going to get that car running.
Can’t people for once just STFU and stick to the topic
What should we do about Cambodia?
Why not call up kai wei teng his era in July is 0.52 way better numbers than a guy whose era is almost 5.00 in AAA
Here’s hoping he is a spark to a once dominant and now beleaguered pitching crew.