All seven of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Tuesday, with the A-ball teams all beginning a new series. So let’s jump straight into the excitement!
Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
The only news on the farm is that High-A Eugene teammates Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) were named to the All-Star Futures Game roster. Congrats
to both!
AAA Sacramento (44-35)
Sacramento River Cats beat the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) 10-5
Box score
A great day of offense for the River Cats, who saw 8 of their 14 hits go for extra bases. There were tons of strong performances, but the best ones belonged to catcher Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) and left fielder Scott Bandura.
June was a rough month for Rodríguez, though he certainly ended it in style. He opened the month by getting optioned on June 1, ending his debut MLB stint. From there, he really struggled, not just with the bat (which was uncharacteristic), but also behind the dish (a bit more expected). The recently-turned 24-year old surely took notice when the Giants had a hole at catcher and decided to roster Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL), rather than bring Rodríguez back up.
But whether his future is as a catcher or a utility player, no one can deny the talent that remains in Rodríguez’s bat, and he showed it off on Tuesday when he hit 3-5 with a solo home run, a double, 3 runs batted in, and a strikeout. Luis Arráez was the only person in the organization to finish just shy of the cycle yesterday!
Hopefully that can jump-start the righty, as, even with that strong day, he posted just a .691 OPS in June, bringing him down to a .779 OPS and a 106 wRC+ on the year.
As for Bandura, it’s been a slow adjustment to AAA following a fairly early promotion this year. But, like Rodríguez, he has so much potential with his bat, and showed that off in this game, hitting 2-3 with a 2-run home run, a walk, a sacrifice fly, a stolen base, and a strikeout. A little bit of everything!
The lefty has been swinging the bat better lately, and in the final 5 games of June hit 6-17 with 4 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and just 2 strikeouts. He only has a .682 OPS and a 77 wRC+ through 35 games at the level, but there’s plenty to be excited about, including a very nice 19.5% strikeout rate, and some quality defense across the grass.
Recently-outrighted right fielder Will Brennan hit 2-4 with a double and a walk, while first baseman Jake Holton hit 2-5 with a pair of doubles, and do-everything third baseman Thomas Gavello went 2-3 with a triple, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base.
On the mound, LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) made his 5th AAA start since getting promoted, and was solid if certainly not spectacular. Whitman went 6 innings and gave up 6 hits (including a home run to rehabbing Major Leaguer Luis Campusano), 2 walks, and 3 runs, though he only struck out 3 batters. Whitman certainly wasn’t at his sharpest, as evidenced by throwing just 56 of 94 pitches for strikes, but the Giants have to love his ability to get deep into games. He’s pitched into the 6th inning in 4 of his 5 starts with Sacramento, and has finished it twice. That’s been something they’ve been lacking at the AAA level. On the whole, the 24-year old has a 4.23 ERA and a 5.40 FIP since his promotion, with just 6 walks allowed in 27.2 innings.
A rough outing for rehabbing RHP Jason Foley, who gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs, while only recording 1 out. Foley has been struggling during his rehab, which certainly puts the Giants in a little bit of a predicament. We’ll have to wait to see what they do there.
Veteran RHP Michael Fulmer pitched a perfect 9th inning with 2 strikeouts, and needed just 9 pitches to do it. His stuff isn’t particularly exciting, but he has a 3.38 ERA, a 3.33 FIP, and 12.7 strikeouts per 9 innings; that’s valuable depth in AAA.
AA Richmond (49-26)
Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 3-2
Box score
A really nice day on the mound for RHP Trystan Vrieling, who has had an up-and-down season. The 2022 3rd-rounder, who came to the Giants in the Camilo Doval trade a year ago, cruised through 6 innings, giving up just 2 hits and 1 run, though he did walk 3 and commit an error, while only striking out 3 batters. Still: that’s a great start!
Vrieling, a 25-year old who didn’t debut until 2024, is back in AA after spending virtually the entire 2025 season there, and so far the results haven’t been encouraging. While the ERA is down ever so slightly (from 4.74 to 4.45), the FIP is up dramatically (4.37 to 5.81), and the strikeouts are down a tad (8.6 per 9 to 8.5). Most concerningly, the walks have spiked, from 3.4 per 9 innings to 6.7. There’s a lot of work to be done there, though Tuesday was a reminder as to why he was a high draft pick in the first place.
Another great showing from RHP Christian Alvarado, as the 31-year old settles back into affiliated ball for the first time since 2019, when he topped out in AA with the Orioles. He struck out a pair of batters while picking up the save, and issuing just 1 baserunner on a walk. Since signing with the Giants, Alvarado has allowed just 3 baserunners in 4 shutout innings, with 8 strikeouts. My guess is we see him in AAA at some point in the second half of the season.
In the batter’s box, third baseman Charlie Szykowny had a very nice 26th birthday, hitting 2-4 with a 2-run home run and a strikeout. The dinger was his 11th of the year, which moved him into a tie for 3rd place on the farm, behind only sluggers Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) and Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL).
Szykowny ended the month in style, as it was his second straight game with 2 hits and a home run. That’s got to feel good considering the slump he was in before that pair of games: in his prior 9 games, he was 2-34 with 0 home runs and 18 strikeouts. With that, the lefty is down to a .793 OPS and a 106 wRC+, but hopefully he can build on these games.
Left fielder Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit 2-4 with a double. He didn’t have a very strong June, but ends it with a 4-game hitting streak, and still has a very nice .860 OPS and 130 wRC+ on the year. Like his teammate Davidson, Harber has excellent numbers but the Giants likely want to see contact and swing decision improvements before moving him up to AAA. But then again, the Giants don’t really do anything developmentally the way I expect, so maybe that pair will be headed to Sacramento imminently!
Shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) capped a brutal June by going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. The lefty finished the month just 10-74 with 37 strikeouts … Richmond was an aggressive assignment for the 2023 4th-rounder out of Tennessee, and while it was going well for a while, it’s come crashing down now. He has a .640 OPS and a 74 wRC+ on the season.
High-A Eugene (46-30)
Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 6-5
Box score
A rough loss for the Emeralds, who carried a lead into the bottom of the 9th inning. RHP Liam Simon, who has been regressing lately, entered in the 9th with 2 outs and the tying run on 3rd base. He proceeded to walk the bases loaded, and then gave up a game-winning 2-run single.
Simon has some of the nastiest stuff in the system, but just has not been able to control his pitches following a strong of severe injuries. While he’s struck out a staggering 41 batters in 23.1 innings this year, he’s also walked 24 … while also hitting 4 batters, and allowing 28 hits. An odd season, but if he’s able to get his control back at some point, he could take off, a la Spencer Miles.
That (along with a tough outing from RHP Cole Hillier), ruined a nice start by LHP Tyler Switalski, who went 5.2 innings while giving up just 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, and striking out 6. It’s been an up-and-down season for the just-turned 23-year old, but in his last 3 starts he’s allowed only 4 runs in 16.2 innings, with 20 strikeouts.
While the overall numbers are middle of the road (3.91 ERA, 4.26 FIP), Switalski’s improvements this year are remarkable. In his debut season last year, the 2024 16th-rounder struck out just 7.9 batters per 9 innings in Low-A, and then a mere 6.7 in High-A. This year? 11.5! From awful to excellent! And just as remarkably, he’s made those strikeout gains while lowering his walk rate, from 3.7 per 9 across the pair of levels, to 3.2 this year.
There has really only been one downside to Switalski’s season: after ceding just 3 homers in 96.2 innings a year ago, he’s allowed a whopping 11 big flies in just 71.1 innings this year. Still, some awesome improvements.
A trio of nice days in the batter’s box, led by center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), who only hit 1-4 with a strikeout, but crushed a mammoth 2-run home run, which was his 12th of the year, moving him into solo second place in the system behind only Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL).
Jordan’s strikeout issues remain severe — he has a 29.5% strikeout rate and a 16.7% swinging strike rate — but my goodness does he make loud contact. He has a .798 OPS and a 110 wRC+ on the season, and hopefully can boost those numbers in July.
The other nice days flanked him in the outfield grass: right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) hit 1-3 with 2 walks and was caught stealing, giving him an .823 OPS and a 125 wRC+, while left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) went 2-3 with a walk and 2 stolen bases, bumping his OPS to .789 and his wRC+ to 113, with 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts.
Low-A San Jose (44-32)
San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels) 2-1 (11 innings)
Box score
This was a dramatic game! It was tied going into the 8th inning, when the Baby Giants took the lead on a solo home run from designated hitter Yosneiker Rivas, who was playing in just his 2nd game since getting promoted from the Complex League.
They then gave up the lead in the 9th inning, but kept Rancho Cucamonga off the board in the 10th and 11th, before walking it off in the bottom half of the inning on a fielder’s choice with an error.
The drama may have been how it ended, but the story was how it started: with RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) having an utterly sensational showing. Martinez was completely dominant through 6 shutout innings, holding the Quakes to just 2 singles and 2 walks, while striking out 11 of the 21 batters he faced. My goodness!
It was the second time this year that the 21-year old reached double-digit strikeouts, and it gave him a staggering 41 punchouts in just 22.2 innings in June. There’s no denying that Martinez has some of the most electric stuff in the system, and I think you have to dip into the relief pools to find anyone who could even have a claim for matching his raw stuff. It’s simply overpowering, as evidenced by the 14.9 strikeouts per 98 innings … a mark that ranks 1st among the 449 Minor League pitchers with at least 50 innings thrown this year. The top of the top!
It’s not all perfect. You don’t have a 4.42 ERA and a 4.45 FIP without doing a few things wrong, and right now the main thing Martinez is struggling with is walking batters. After having just 1.9 walks per 9 innings in the Complex League last year, the young Venezuelan walked 4.5 batters per 9 following a midseason promotion to San Jose … and is walking 5.6 per 9 this year. His home runs per 9 innings has also spiked, from 0.19 in the Complex League to 0.82 in Low-A, both last year and this year, while his groundball rate has dropped about 10 percentage points.
Still and all. 91 strikeouts in 55 innings doesn’t grow on trees, especially with 21-year olds. Martinez may have a lot to work on, but his performance — combined with the performance of other pitchers in the system — has drawn a very firm line in the sand, in my eyes. Martinez is the organization’s top pitching prospect, and unless they draft Jackson Flora next weekend, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
RHP Fernando Vasquez also had a nice game, as the 24-year old tossed 2 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Like Martinez, Vasquez has a huge walk issue: he’s given up 30 in just 28.2 innings, which has given him a 6.28 ERA and a 6.23 FIP. But he’s only allowed 14 hits, and struck out 32, so when he stays in the zone he’s virtually unhittable.
No one did anything on offense save for the aforementioned dinger from the 20-year old Rivas, who was promoted to A-ball after just 16 games in the Complex League (which followed 3 seasons in the DSL). Catcher Junior Barajas had a particularly rough game, striking out in all 4 of his at-bats. Last year’s 11th-round pick has been in a free fall following his brilliant start to his debut season: he had a .940 OPS in April, a .573 OPS in May, and a .540 OPS in June.
Arizona Complex League (23-20)
ACL Giants beat the ACL D-backs 2-1
Box score
This game was all about rehabbing players. All of the offense came on one swing of the bat from shortstop Christian Koss, who went just 1-4 but smashed a 2-run home run. Koss had spent the day prior in Phoenix, on the taxi squad for a Giants team that was without a backup infielder due to Willy Adames having the “too injured to play, not injured enough to go on the IL” specialty. After a day on the taxi squad, the Giants decided they were fine and sent Koss back to his rehab and proceeded with their shorthanded infield.
The result? Matt Chapman trying to play through an injury, center fielder Jonah Cox playing second base, and Luis Arráez getting moved to third. But hey, at least it won them a rookie league game, right?!?
On the mound, the ACL Giants used 4 pitchers, and 3 of them were rehabbing. It began with AAA LHP Matt Wilkinson, who was as good as you would expect a AAA pitcher to be in rookie ball, as he threw 3 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. Wilkinson rehabbing in the ACL was a tiny bit surprising, since he didn’t spend much time on the IL … he last pitched on June 17, so he really only missed 1 start.
Then it was LHP Hayden Wynja, who made his 2nd rehab appearance after missing the entirety of the 2025 season. A very tall 27-year old UDFA who was in High-A when he last pitched, Wynja gave up 3 hits and a run in 2 innings, with 3 strikeouts.
Finishing off the rehab appearances was AA RHP Logan Martin, who struck out 2 batters in 2 shutout innings, with 0 hits and 1 walk. It was the 2nd rehab appearance for Martin, a 24-year old who came to the Giants in the Mason Black trade this offseason. He missed a month with injury, so we’ll see how many rehab appearances he makes before heading back to Richmond.
While the rehabbing pitchers got the attention, the best pitching performance belonged to the one arm who wasn’t rehabbing: RHP Samir Chires, who struck out 5 batters in 2 scoreless innings, while allowing a hit and a walk. The 22-year old Venezuelan is in his 4th year in the ACL, so it’s go time for him … and so far he’s going, as he has a 2.25 ERA, a 4.00 FIP, and 38 strikeouts against just 9 walks in 24 innings.
Dominican Summer League Black (12-10)
DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Mets Blue 4-2 (7 innings)
Box score
A pair of really nice pitching performances, courtesy of LHPs Santiago Guerrero and Hector Dos Santos. Guerrero struggled with command a bit, as he walked 3 batters and hit another, but he threw 4 no-hit innings in the start, while striking out 3. The 18-year old from Mexico, who is in his debut season, has been quite unhittable this year, allowing just 7 hits in 17.2 innings. The strikeout-to-walk numbers (18-to-11) aren’t great, but it’s still been a very encouraging debut, and has led to a 2.04 ERA (albeit with a 5.40 FIP). Dos Santos, a 20-year old in his 2nd season, had a similar performance, as he tossed 2 no-hit innings, but walked 2 while striking out 3. Like Guerrero, Dos Santos doesn’t have a great strikeout-to-walk ratio (12-to-7), but has only allowed 4 hits in 9.2 innings, leading to a 2.79 ERA and a 5.84 FIP.
On offense, left fielder Franco Willias did what he does best: get on base and do stuff once there. The recently-turned 21-year old went 0-1, but he drew 2 walks, was hit by a pitch, and stole a base. He has a .408 on-base percentage, with 11 stolen bases in 22 games (and has been caught stealing just once). Overall, it’s a .915 OPS and a 118 wRC+ in his 3rd season.
Dominican Summer League Orange (13-9)
DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Mariners 7-4
Box score
Might as well keep with the pitching theme from the other DSL game, as RHP Omar Calcurian pitched 2 no-hit innings but walked 2, while striking out 3. We’ve seen that line before! And hey, in keeping with that theme, Calcurian isn’t allowing hits, but doesn’t have great strikeout and walk numbers, either: the 21-year old has thrown 16.2 innings, and has allowed just 5 hits … but has walked 9 with 16 strikeouts. It’s a 1.62 ERA and a 5.51 FIP for the Venezuelan.
Also a good game for RHP Jose Trevizo, who allowed 2 hits, 1 hit batter, and 1 run in 3 innings, while striking out 5. Unlike the other pitchers we’ve mentioned, the 19-year old has a beautiful 20 strikeouts against 3 walks in 16 innings this year, his 2nd in the DSL. He has just a 5.06 ERA, but a 3.12 FIP.
Nice days in the box for second baseman Yoxander Benitez, left fielder Ricardo Crespo, and designated hitter Jesus Hernandez. Benitez, a 19-year old from Aruba in his 3rd season, hit 3-5 with a double and a strikeout, raising his OPS to .744 and his wRC+ to 96; Crespo, a 19-year fold from Venezuela in his 3rd season, went 1-3 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout, and now has an .841 OPS and a 154 wRC+; and Hernandez, a 17-year old from Venezuela playing in just his 7th game, went 1-3 with a double, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. The double was his 2nd career hit, after homering over the weekend.
Home run tracker
12 — Dakota Jordan — [High-A]
11 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA]
6 — Jesús Rodríguez — [2 in MLB; 4 in AAA]
5 — Scott Bandura — [2 in AAA; 3 in AA]
2 — Christian Koss — [1 in AAA; 1 in ACL]
1 — Yosneiker Rivas — [Low-A]
Wednesday schedule
Sacramento: 5:35 p.m. PT at El Paso (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 3:30 p.m. PT at Harrisburg (SP: Yunior Marte)
Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Luis De La Torre)
San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Rancho Cucamonga (SP: Jordan Gottesman)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
