For the final time this year, five of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Tuesday. Let’s jump straight into it.
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
A trio of pitchers are headed to AAA Sacramento from AA Richmond: RHPs Trystan Vrieling, R.J. Dabovich, and Darien Smith.
In less happy news, High-A Eugene RHP Ramon Marquez was placed on the 7-Day IL.
Fingers crossed that it’s nothing bad. Richmond shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) was also placed on the IL, while Low-A San Jose RHP Sam Knowlton was released.
AAA Sacramento (72-52)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Reno Aces (D-Backs) 12-3
Box score
The Giants have a lot of outfielders, and it’s going to create a thorny situation this offseason. Even having traded Heliot Ramos, San Francisco has 7 outfielders on the 40-man roster, and that doesn’t even count Casey Schmitt, who might have pole position for the opening day left field spot.
That number figures to grow in the offseason, too. Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) will need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft and, if he doesn’t debut before then, it sure looks like Scott Bandura will need to be as well.
Bandura, a 7th-round pick in 2023, continued his assault on the league on Tuesday, hitting a nearly-perfect 4-5 with a triple, a walk, a stolen base, and 4 runs batted in.
On the one hand, that’s an absurd day. On the other hand, it’s kind of just the norm with Bandura these days. It was the 12th time this month that he’s had a multi-hit game. It was the 4th game in a row in which he had multiple hits and at least 1 extra-base knock. It gave him a 6-game hitting streak, during which time he’s gone 16-27 with 6 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 0 strikeouts. It’s given him a 2nd consecutive month with an OPS that begins with a 1.
Let’s run the splits once more on his run in AAA following an early-season promotion:
First 34 games: 31-129, 1 home run, 2 triples, 7 doubles, 8 walks, 28 strikeouts
Next 45 games: 71-181, 7 home runs, 1 triple, 14 doubles, 31 walks, 25 strikeouts
That all adds up to an .896 OPS and a 135 wRC+. Add in the 21 stolen bases (in just 22 attempts) and the solid defense, and that’s a player who will absolutely need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft … and possibly should be playing ahead of some of the other players on the MLB roster right now. The Giants have already had 4 outfielders make their Major League debuts this season … could that number soon be 5? It sure feels like the lefty has mastered the level.
Were he Rule 5 eligible, we might also be talking about an upcoming debut for third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), who has seamlessly handled the transition to AAA. Unlike Davidson and Bandura, who had slow starts and then caught absolute fire, Harber has been more steady, for better and for worse. He’s been extremely solid his entire time in AAA, without ever really struggling too much or going on an absolute heater. There’s a lot to be said for consistency when that consistency is well above average!
Harber had himself a lovely Tuesday, hitting 3-4 with a double, a sacrifice fly, a walk, and a strikeout. He’s now at an .894 OPS and a 133 wRC+ with Sacramento, and through 32 games he’s really been a remarkably balanced offensive package. He’s hitting for average (.313), hitting for power (.180 iso), drawing walks (11.8% rate), and limiting strikeouts (21.7% rate). With him not being Rule 5 eligible and an impending lockout, I’d guess that he stays in Sacramento for the rest of the year.
As for Davidson, he had a very rare hitless day, going 0-4 with a strikeout, but he did draw 2 walks.
Designated hitter Eddys Leonard had an awesome day, hitting 2-2 with a double and 3 walks. He’s no longer on the 40-man roster, so we probably won’t see him back in the Majors, but good to see him putting up nice numbers.
A fairly nondescript pitching performance in a bullpen game. The exciting news was that MLB LHP Matt Gage made his 2nd rehab appearance, and retired all 3 batters he faced, with a strikeout. The fact that Gage has returned to the mound this season at all is a big win, and it looks like we’ll see him back in the Majors soon, too.
RHP Christian Alvarado got stretched to 3 innings of relief and handled them brilliantly, giving up 2 hits, 0 walks, and 0 runs, with 2 strikeouts. The 31-year old has been an excellent story and is settling in to his 1st AAA experience. He could be a factor in the MLB bullpen in 2027.
AA Richmond (71-48)
Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox) 8-7
Box score
The home run surge continues for first baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL). The just-turned 24-year old, who was a 3rd-round pick by the Braves in 2023 before being shipped to San Francisco in the Jorge Soler deal, went 1-3 in this game, with a walk, a stolen base, a strikeout, and, critically, a solo home run.
A year after Ceballos saw his power shockingly evaporate, the Oregon Duck has tapped back into it in a big way. Last year, Ceballos spent the entire season with Richmond and hit just 6 home runs. This year? He’s already at 16, despite only having 27 more plate appearances.
That power surge is exciting and encouraging but, unfortunately, it’s not really leading to a good overall line, even though the righty draws a ton of walks, too. He has just a .741 OPS on the year which, thanks to the Eastern League’s improved offense this year, is good for just a 104 wRC+, only 2 points over last season’s. Ceballos continues to run an extremely bizarre low-strikeout, low-average profile. Despite striking out just 18.8% of the time, he has a meager .220 batting average, and those numbers were similar last year (17.4% and .232, respectively). That strikeout rate is 21st out of 121 EL hitters with at least 200 plate appearances this year … but the batting average is 95th. Very odd.
Richmond is currently lacking in top prospects, since outfielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) are both on the IL. So it was up to center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) to hold it down for the big namers, and hold it down he did. Cohen, last year’s 3rd-round pick, reached base in all 4 of his plate appearances, as he bopped 2 singles and drew 2 walks.
Cohen has been scuffling a bit following a hot start to AA. Over his last 12 games, he’s 9-49 with no home runs, 1 triple, 1 double, 7 walks, and 7 strikeouts. It’s still been a very strong debut at the level, given that this is his 1st full season of pro ball, and that he’s playing excellent outfield defense with 14 stolen bases in 22 AA games. He has a .735 OPS and a 98 wRC+, though those numbers will likely come up given his 118 wRC+ with High-A Eugene.
Fairly uninteresting pitching performance. RHP Trystan Vrieling had another fine-but-not-particularly-good start, as he gave up 2 baserunners per inning, allowing 7 hits (including a home run), 3 walks, and 2 runs in 5 innings, with 5 strikeouts. That’s just kind of been the year for Vrieling, who has been consistently mediocre. In 23 starts this year, the 2022 3rd-rounder (by the Yankees), Vrieling has given up 4 or more earned runs just 5 times, but has a 4.23 ERA and a 5.03 FIP, with just 8.3 strikeouts per 9 innings and 5.3 walks. Just not a ton to be excited about, unfortunately.
Another scoreless outing from LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL), who retired all 3 batters he faced. It was Choate’s 3rd straight game without allowing a hit, and he’s really been strong this year save for one awful game in early July. Walks are the big issue for the funky southpaw right now, as he’s given up 5.9 per 9 innings. The 11.2 strikeouts, however, have helped lead to a 3.05 ERA and a 3.92 FIP.
High-A Eugene (73-47)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) 10-4
Box score
There were two big stories from two exciting young talents, one on each side of the ball.
In the batter’s box it was second baseman Dalton Wentz, who left the yard for the first time in his young career. Not only that, but he did it in grand fashion … the switch-hitter went 1-3 with 2 walks and a strikeout on the day, and smashed a glorious grand slam in the 1st inning.
Needless to say, that’s a swing that Wentz will never, ever forget! It’s been a slightly slow start for Wentz, which is understandable given that he went straight from college to High-A, with a few months in there to accumulate some rust. The 16th-rounder, who was given a 4th-round sized bonus, is 6-21 through 5 career games, with 2 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts. There’s a lot in his bat worth being excited about, though, as that swing is evidence of!
The other excitement came on the mound, courtesy of LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL). It was one of Bresnahan’s worst games in a while from a run suppression standpoint, as he gave up 4 earned runs. But that certainly doesn’t tell the whole story, as the 21-year old southpaw was otherwise dominant, giving up less than a baserunner per inning (4 hits and 1 walk in 6 frames) while striking out 10 batters. 10!
It was a doubly encouraging start because of how well Bresnahan settled into place. He let the 1st 3 baserunners he faced reach base, and then gave up a 1-out grand slam. And then that was that. He faced 15 more batters and retired 14 of them. He couldn’t be touched.
The grand slam allowed was notable, however, and not just because it put runs on Bresnahan’s sterling ERA, which sits at 2.92 (his FIP is lagging at 4.28). Bresnahan gave up just 2 home runs last year in Low-A, in 93 innings. This year? He’s at 13 already, in just 98.2 frames.
But the good news? Those home runs are really the only bad news. Bresnahan is striking out 10.8 batters per 9 innings, only walking 3.5, and, perhaps most impressively, allowing opponents to hit just .183 against. That’s the 2nd year running that Bresnahan is keep opposing hitters on the interstate! Mighty impressive.
Those were the stars, but there were some other nice performances. Left fielder Walker Martin went 3-4 with a walk, 2 stolen bases, and a strikeout; the 22-year old lefty has a .739 OPS, a 93 wRC+, and 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts. Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) went 2-5 with a stolen base, a caught stealing, and a strikeout; the 19-year old switch-hitter is rocking an .867 OPS and a 128 wRC+, with 13 stolen bases in 19 attempts. And third baseman Hayden Jatczak hit 2-4 with a walk, a stolen base, 3 runs batted in, and an error; the 25-year old righty has a .685 OPS and an 88 wRC+ through 25 games at the level, with 3 stolen bases in as many attempts.
Low-A San Jose (71-50)
San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide (D-Backs) 6-5
Box score
An exciting game for the Baby Giants, who used a 4-run rally in the bottom of the 9th to turn a 5-2 deficit into a walk-off win. It was certainly a case of letting the other team grant you a gift, as the inning featured a walk, a hit batter, and 3 wild pitchers … the final of which allowed center fielder Peyton Bonds to score the go-home-happy run.
While it was a tremendously exciting end to the game, it wasn’t a very exciting game from an individual performance standpoint. The offense was mild-mannered, with no extra-base knocks on the day. Bonds had another multi-hit game, though, as he went 2-5 with a strikeout and 2 runs batted in. Barry’s nephew, taken in the 3rd round in July’s draft, went 0-4 in his pro debut, but has gone 2-5 in both games since. A slower transition for second baseman Luke Nixon, the team’s 5th-round pick, who went 1-4 with a strikeout and his 1st career stolen base. Nixon is 1-10 with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts, but hey, he’s got an average now!
Another really nice game for left fielder Broedy Poppell, who went 2-3 with a walk, a strikeout, and a stolen base. It’s been a tough season for last year’s 13th-rounder, but he’s been red hot lately: in his last 7 games, Poppell has hit 12-23 with 7 extra-base hits and 7 walks, bringing his OPS up to .782 and his wRC+ to 100, with 15 stolen bases in as many attempts (impressive success rate!). Right fielder Tanner Mally, July’s 17th-round pick, continues to look comfortable, as he went 1-3 with 1 walk, 2 hit by pitches, 2 stolen bases, and a strikeout. Through 15 games, Mally has a .972 OPS, a 158 wRC+, and 4 stolen bases in as many attempts.
RHP Trey Seeley had a pretty strong day on the mound, cruising through 6 innings while allowing just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs, with 5 strikeouts, though he gave up a home run. A 14th-round pick out of Hope International a year ago, Seeley has been pretty strong lately, after a slow start to his career. But, despite that, one of the funnier stats in the system took a step forward with this game, as Seeley did a good job limiting hits, but did give up a home run. That has been the season for him, and the numbers are truly shocking: Seeley has given up 42 hits this year with the Baby Giants, and 14 of them have left the park. Add in the home run he allowed in 9 innings in the Complex League, and Seeley has given up 15 big flies this year, which is 4th-most in the entire system. The 48.2 innings pitched? 40th. And that’s how you end up with a 6.84 ERA and a 7.46 FIP across the 2 levels.
Dominican Summer League Black
DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Padres Gold 8-3
Box score
And with that, the DSL season is over. The Giants Orange team didn’t make the playoffs and, after a nice run, the Giants Black team was eliminated.
It was not for lack of effort by their starting pitcher, RHP Santiago Guerrero. The 19-year old from Mexico capped off an intriguing debut season with a dominant showing, striking out 7 batters in 5 shutout innings, while allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk. What a spectacular game! You don’t see pitching performances like that in the DSL very frequently.
Guerrero, who ended the regular season strong, finished the season (which doesn’t include his pair of postseason starts) with a 3.34 ERA but a 6.04 FIP. Including the postseason, he struck out 49 batters in 43 innings … but walked 38. There was a lot to love, but a lot to work on in his 2nd season.
Right fielder Vinicius Dos Santos had a pinch hit home run, which was notable since it was just his 2nd career home run in 3 seasons. Center fielder Djean Macares went 2-4 with a walk and 2 stolen bases. The 18-year old from Aruba finished his 2nd season with an .828 OPS, a 121 wRC+, 26 stolen bases, and a 9.7% strikeout rate … my guess would be that this was his final game in the DSL.
Home run tracker
16 — Sabin Ceballos — [AA]
2 — Vinicius Dos Santos — [DSL]
1 — Dalton Wentz — [High-A]
Wednesday schedule
Sacramento: 6:35 p.m. PT at Reno (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Portland (SP: Yunior Marte)
Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Everett (SP: Henry Lalane)
San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Visalia (SP: Argenis Cayama)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be viewed on MLB TV
