Just five games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Tuesday, as AA Richmond had their game postponed due to weather, while the Dominican Summer League squads faced off against each other. We’ll throw in Monday’s rookie ball games into this recap as well, especially since those seasons are wrapping up.
Now, onto the action!
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 few moves. Most notably and excitingly, there was a rise up the catcher ranks, as Adrián Sugastey was promoted from AA Richmond to AAA Sacramento, while Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL) was promoted from High-A Eugene to Richmond. It’s very exciting for both players, as Sugastey had spent a very long time in Richmond before getting this call, while Villarroel has had a blissful debut season in the Giants organization following a trade right before spring training. Tying up that domino effect is Daniel Rogers, who was promoted from Low-A San Jose to Eugene. Meanwhile, San Jose outfielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) was activated off the Injured List.
Infielder Zane Zielinski was sent down from Richmond to Eugene, while first baseman Robert Hipwell was demoted from Eugene to San Jose. Richmond RHP Dylan Hecht was released.
Down in the DSL, the Giants had three players selected to the All-Star Game: RHP Omar Calcurian, and infielders Keiberg Camacaro and Albert Jimenez. Manager Ian MacDonald was also selected to the team.
AAA Sacramento (52-42)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Oklahoma City Comets (Dodgers) 7-3
Box score
All the attention in Sacramento right now is on a pair of newcomers, outfielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) and third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL). But it was a different newcomer who stole the spotlight on Tuesday, as the star of the game was catcher Adrián Sugastey, who was making his AAA debut.
It’s been a long journey to the highest rung on the Minor League ladder for Sugastey. It’s been over 7 years since the Giants first signed the righty out of Panama, and he’d spent 3 years in AA trying to earn a promotion to Sacramento. At times, he was one of the top catching prospects in the organization, though that label has dissipated a bit over the years.
Sugastey finally got the call to AAA this week. And while it was largely logistical — San Francisco currently has 3 rookie catchers on their roster, and DFA’d both Eric Haase and Logan Porter, leaving only Zach Morgan and utility player Thomas Gavello to serve as AAA backstops — it’s also deserved. Sugastey has made some gains in AA this year, with a .275 batting average that towers over the last 2 years (.231 and .210). That led to a .715 OPS and a 91 wRC+, and while those aren’t stellar numbers for a 23-year old in AA, it’s worth remembering that Sugastey is a tremendous catcher whose calling card is his defense and leadership. You only need to be able to fake it to have a career as a backup when you can throw out runners the way Sugastey does.
He didn’t throw out any runners in his AAA debut (though he didn’t allow any stolen bases either), but he did catch a fantastic pitching performance, holding a potent Comets offense to 3 runs, all of which came in one rough inning (the 8th) off of one struggling pitcher (LHP Nick Zwack).
And in the batter’s box? Sugastey made his Sacramento introduction by hitting 2-4 with a solo home run. He’s not a big power guy, but that had to feel good! Welcome to AAA!
Also homering was designated hitter Will Brennan, who had an otherwise poor day, hitting 1-5 with 2 strikeouts. Brennan has been on quite a tear since getting designated for assignment, hitting 29-97 with 2 home runs and 9 doubles during that time. Still and all, hard to see him getting another chance in the Majors for the Giants, given how many outfielders they have.
Speaking of which, right fielder Turner Hill and center fielder Scott Bandura both had lovely games in which they hit 2-4 and stole a base. Hill’s game was particularly delightful, as both of his hits went for extra-bases: a triple and a double. The 27-year old lefty has been utterly unfazed by AAA, posting an .890 OPS and a 135 wRC+, while striking out just 8.4% of the time, and swiping 20 bags in 23 attempts. Say what you will about the Giants season, but they’ve had some tremendous developmental successes with relatively unheralded outfield prospects this year!
Hill and Bandura (who now has a .780 OPS, a 108 wRC+, and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts) are names to watch through the trade deadline … not because they’re likely to be traded, but because they’re possibly next up should the Giants decide to trade some of the many outfielders on the 40-man roster.
As for the aforementioned newcomers, Harber hit 2-4 with a walk and a strikeout, while Davidson had a tough day, going 0-5 with 2 Ks. Oddly, Davidson was in left field again … he’s played the corners in all 4 of his AAA games, despite coming up through the Minors strictly as a center fielder (and earning some pretty good reviews there). San Francisco’s current weakness is in center, so it doesn’t really make sense to think he’s getting prepped for a debut, but maybe this is to make sure he’s comfortable at all 3 outfield positions, so that Tony Vitello can deploy him wherever should that call come? Who knows.
Speaking of things I don’t fully understand, we had a pitcher switcheroo! RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL), who entered the year as one of the organization’s top relief prospects, and LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) who entered as one of the top starting prospects, pitched in reverse roles this year. Harris got the start, and while it wasn’t an earnest starting pitching performance, he was given enough of a workload to make you wonder if the Giants are actually moving him in that direction … in all, Harris threw 37 pitches en route to 3 stellar scoreless innings, giving up just 1 baserunner (a single) while striking out 4. Fantastic!
Despite a brutal start to the year, Harris has brought his ERA down to 3.78 (albeit with a 4.89 FIP), as he’s been quite good lately. The 4.6 walks per 9 innings are still quite high, but the 10.5 strikeouts are a delight to look at.
As for Whitman, it was another relief outing following a surprising, unexplained move to the bullpen 2 weeks ago. He struck out 2 batters in 1.1 scoreless innings, though he did allow 3 singles along the way. I would still assume that the Giants view his future as a starter, given the year he had, but … given the year they’ve had, I won’t pretend to have any idea what the Giants are ever doing.
Nice outings for a pair of veterans, as LHP Reiver Sanmartin gave up just 1 hit and 0 runs in 2.2 innings, with a strikeout, while RHP Michael Fulmer tossed a perfect frame with 2 Ks. Sanmartin has a 3.97 ERA and a 4.45 FIP, while Fulmer is rocking a 3.29 ERA and a 3.26 FIP.
High-A Eugene (55-36)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) 13-8
Box score
Baseball is definitely a funny sport. Eugene had an offensive explosion, getting 15 hits on the day, with everyone in the lineup getting a hit except, naturally, the best hitting prospect on the team by a mile, shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who went 0-5 with a walk. So it goes. Funny sport.
There were a lot of great days, and that was highlighted by a continued hot streak from third baseman Walker Martin, who hit 1-2 with a solo home run, 3 walks, and 1 strikeout.
On the whole, it’s been a very disappointing year for Walker, the team’s 2nd-round pick in 2022, as he has just a .734 OPS, a 93 wRC+, a 33.1% strikeout rate, and 20 errors (his defense looks a little better than that mark would suggest, but not great). But he’s been a bit better lately, and in his last 4 games is hitting 6-12 with 2 homers, a double, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Here’s hoping he can end the year on a very high note.
And on the note of players who are on heaters, great days for both designated hitter Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) and right fielder Jakob Christian (No. 40 CPL). Gutierrez, a lefty, went 2-4 with a double, 2 walks, and a stolen base, bringing him up to an .827 OPS and a 124 wRC+ on the year, with 21 stolen bases in 23 attempts. The soon-to-turn 22-year old’s season has really flown under the radar following his breakout last year, in part because his outstanding contact has come down a little (though his strikeout rate remains under 20%). He’s slowly building the average back up, though (it’s at .268 now) and, excitedly, that’s not coming at the expense of his new-found power or his walks (he’s raised his walk rate year-over-year from 12.6% to 14.6%, while his isolated slugging mark of .180 towers over last year’s Low-A mark of .101). Gutierrez is on quite a hot streak, as he’s hit safely in 11 of the last 12 games, and has gone 17-42 in that span, with 6 doubles, 12 walks, and just 9 strikeouts.
As for Christian, a righty, he went 2-4 with a triple, a walk, a hit by pitch, and a strikeout. The soon-to-turn 24-year old, who was taken in the 5th round of the 2024 draft, is having a bit of a funny season, in line with past ones: he’s drawing a ton of walks (12.5% rate), and showing off absurd power (.239 isolated slugging), which is leading to a very nice line (.865 OPS, 129 wRC+). But he’s also currently repping a 32.9% strikeout rate and … well … yeah. That’s pretty ugly for an A-ball hitter who is older than his peers at the level. Still, a lot of tools are in that shed, and Christian is hitting a blistering .298/.389/.660 so far in July.
A pair of recently-promoted players shined, as second baseman Isaiah Barkett hit 3-6 with a 2-run home run and a strikeout, while left fielder Jose Astudillo went 2-3 with a walk and 2 stolen bases. There weren’t high expectations for either player coming into the year — Barkett was a 10th-round pick in last year’s draft, while Astudillo was a soft-contact outfielder coming off a good, if not emphatic stateside debut. But the 22-year olds have absolutely run with the year, as both have displayed brilliant contact ability, more power than expected, and outstanding speed and defense. They very much earned their promotions, and each has made the most of it so far.
Rounding out the dinger party was first baseman Zander Darby, who hit 2-5 with a 2-run home run, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Like Christian, Darby, a 12th-round pick in 2024, has shown off some good power but with far too many strikeouts … the overall numbers aren’t quite as compelling for the lefty, though, as he has a .767 OPS and a 104 wRC+ on the year.
That was a lot of words about the hitters, which works out to everyone’s benefit because no one wants to hear about the pitchers in this game. RHPs Cade Vernon and Cole Hillier were not sharp at all, while RHP Liam Simon’s walk woes continued after a very brief hiatus. The best outing belonged to LHP Esmerlin Vinicio, who struck out 3 batters in 3 innings with 0 walks, but did give up 4 hits and a run. Vinicio, a 23-year old, has a 3.11 ERA and a 3.69 FIP on the season.
Low-A San Jose (54-37)
San Jose Giants lost to the Ontario Tower Buzzers (Dodgers) 6-2
Box score
A very uninteristing game. We can breeze through this one quite quickly. The offense only provided 5 hits on the day. The best day belonged to first baseman Robert Hipwell, who was perhaps angry about being sent down to Low-A, and took his aggression out on the baseball, as he went 2-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
There’s no fun way to say this, but things aren’t looking good for the Santa Clara alum, and you have to wonder if his time with the organization is nearing an end. He had some good hype when the Giants drafted him in the 6th round in 2024, and paid him accordingly, and he played well after being drafted, posting a .762 OPS and a 109 wRC+ with San Jose. He began his first full season back in San Jose, and, unfortunately, ended up spending the entire year there. The overall numbers were good (.824 OPS, 126 wRC+), but they came with a concerning strikeout rate (31.2%).
Still, the move for 2026 was obvious: give the lefty a challenge in High-A and see what happens. What happened was, unfortunately, an even more damning strikeout rate (40.9%) that led to an average well below the Mendoza Line (.161), and a very poor overall line (.619 OPS, 79 wRC+). Add in the fact that he’s pretty much exclusively a first baseman these days, after being a third baseman out of college, and it’s hard to see a path forward barring some extreme developmental steps.
Shortstop Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) continued his hot streak, going 1-4 with a double. He’s up to a stunning 14 extra-base hits in July, with a .417/.493/.833 slash line. A stunning month! And just like that, his full season debut features an .817 OPS and a 101 wRC+ … not great numbers for last year’s 4th-round pick, but far better than they were early in the year, and they’re accompanied by awesome defense.
RHP Trey Seeley had a nice showing while getting the start, as he struck out 5 batters in 4 innings with 0 walks, while giving up just 2 hits and 1 run. It’s been a tough debut season for last year’s 14th-round pick, as he has just an 8.17 ERA and a 7.90 FIP, but this was not only one of his better outings, but his longest outing too (he hadn’t even pitched 3 innings before this start). Seeley really lives in the strike zone, for better and for worse: he has 12.1 strikeouts and just 3.6 walks per 9 innings … but in 25.1 frames has allowed 29 hits and 9 home runs.
Arizona Complex League (34-25)
Monday: ACL Giants lost to the ACL Rockies 12-7 (6 innings) [box score]
Tuesday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Cubs 6-0 (7 innings) [box score]
The ACL season is in its final week, and soon we’ll find out if top prospects Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) and Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) will be headed to Low-A to test their mettle against better pitchers. I think the answer both should be, and will be “yes,” but just in case, that pair put together another audition these last few days.
It was a particularly notable performance for González, as he had been “slumping” (by his standards) lately … so this was a welcome sight, as he hit 2-7 with a home run, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Quite a performance! González, who is widely considered a top-25 prospect now, is sitting on a .975 OPS and a 140 wRC+ in his stateside debut. The 18-year old switch-hitter is doing it all: he’s hitting for average (.344), he’s drawing walks (16.8%), he’s limiting strikeouts (21.0%), he’s showing off power (.177 ISO), and he’s stealing bases (8 in 10 attempts over 29 games). And that’s without mentioning his elite shortstop defense, though he played second base in both of these games.
It was Hernández who handled shortstop, and he hit 3-7 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Hernández’s numbers are, understandably, a touch below González’s, as he has a .921 OPS and a 117 wRC+. But if you’re not impressed by a 17-year old shortstop in their debut season, after skipping the DSL, putting up a .297 average with just a 16.7% strikeout rate, then I don’t know what to tell you!!!
Anyway, as much as I’m loving watching Meola put it all together and show off the web in San Jose, I sure hope this duo is headed up there to steal some reps soon.
A great performance from catcher Yohendry Sanchez, who hit 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk on Monday, but didn’t play on Tuesday. Sanchez, who was a big signing in 2024 but was mediocre in 2 years in the DSL, is hitting way better in the ACL this year than in the DSL a year ago … it’s a season that’s flown under the radar due to Hernández and González, but Sanchez has an .880 OPS and a 134 wRC+ with just a 9.2% strikeout rate in 20 games on the complex, and the 19-year old plays some damn good defense behind the dish, too. Very exciting stuff!
The pitching on Monday was awful, particularly for RHP Luke Mensik, the team’s 17th-round pick a year ago … he only recorded 2 outs, while allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters, committing 2 errors, and ceding 7 runs. Shake it off, Luke.
It was much better on Tuesday, with RHPs Kendry Castro and Marlon Franco absolutely dealing. Castro, a 19-year old who recently received the very rare international in-season promotion, pitched 2.2 no-hit innings with 2 walks and 1 strikeout in his 2nd appearance in the ACL following 5 games in the DSL this year. Franco, a 23-year old, pitched 3.1 no-hit innings with just 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Dominance! Hopefully there’s more of that in the tank, because this is Franco’s 6th professional season and he has just a 7.15 ERA and a 4.92 FIP on the year.
A pair of rehab appearances: on the mound, AA RHP Ben Peterson kicked off a rehab assignment by striking out 1 in a perfect inning; in the box, Low-A first baseman Hayden Jatczak began a rehab stint by hitting 1-2.
Dominican Summer League Black (21-14)
Monday: DSL Giants Black beat DSL Arizona Red 8-7 [box score]
Tuesday: DSL Giants Black beat DSL Giants Orange 7-2 (7 innings) [box score]
These games were all about the offense for the DSL Giants Black team. And really, they were all about a trio of hitters, who were the stars in both games: shortstop Keiberg Camacaro, center fielder Djean Macares, and left fielder Franco Willias.
Camacaro had the most explosive pair of games, hitting 3-7 with home runs in each contest, while also drawing a walk, getting hit by a pitch, stealing 2 bases, and striking out once. What a performance! The 19-year old is already in his 4th DSL season, but things are finally clicking: his .321 average is nearly .100 points better than his career high, while his .229 isolated slugging is nearly triple what it was last year. He’s cut his strikeout rate year-over-year by nearly 10 percentage points, and he’s stolen 19 bases … after just 22 total in his 3 prior seasons. The result is a 1.011 OPS, a 148 wRC+, and perhaps a plane ticket to Arizona when February rolls around.
Macares went 3-5 with 2 doubles, 3 walks, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and an outfield assist. A little bit of everything! The 18-year old has made huge strides in his 2nd year, with large statistical improvements in quite literally every category. He was a decent-sized signing last year, so when you add that to his up-the-middle position and, most importantly, his performance (.800 OPS, 117 wRC+, 17 stolen bases), it seems all but guaranteed that he’ll make a stateside debut in 2027.
As for Willias, he didn’t supply the extra-base thunder that Camacaro and Macares did, but he went 3-7 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and 4 stolen bases. The 21-year old was solid in his 1st 2 DSL campaigns, but this year has really taken off, with a .996 OPS, a 144 wRC+, and 21 stolen bases.
One pitcher to highlight: RHP Brayan Cabello, who continued his brilliant run suppression, giving up just 1 hit, 0 walks, and 0 runs in 2.2 innings, with 3 strikeouts. Cabello has only allowed 12 hits in 26.1 innings, which has given him a 1.37 ERA (albeit with a 4.03 FIP, as he’s not striking out too many batters). That said, he’s a 22-year old in his 5th DSL season.
Dominican Summer League Orange (21-15)
Monday: DSL Giants Orange beat DSL Arizona Black 9-4 (7 innings) [box score]
Tuesday: DSL Giants Orange lost to DSL Giants Black 7-2 (7 innings) [box score]
It was mostly the pitching that stood out for the Giants Orange team, especially on Monday when there were a pair of good performances from RHPs Jose Trevizo and Jhon Leon. Trevizo struck out 5 batters in 4 innings, while giving up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 3 unearned runs. The 18-year old, who is in his 2nd season, has a delightful 30 strikeouts against 8 walks this season, en route to a 3.58 ERA and a 3.61 FIP. Leon, a 22-year old pitching in his 3rd season, allowed 2 hits and an unearned run in 2 innings, while striking out 3 batters. He has 26 strikeouts in just 17.2 innings, which is great, but has also walked 14 batters. He has a 5.60 ERA and a 4.09 FIP on the year.
Not too much to talk about with the hitters. Shortstop/third baseman Yeison Oviedo hit quite nicely, going 3-6 with a double, 2 walks, and a stolen base, bringing him up to an .861 OPS and a 125 wRC+, with just a 13.1% strikeout rate. Huge strides for the 18-year old, who really struggled in his debut season a year ago.
Designated hitter Jesus Hernandez played sparingly, but hit 1-2 with a triple, a walk, and a strikeout. The Giants have brought along the debuting catcher, who is just 17, very slowly this year.
Home run tracker
13 — Walker Martin — [High-A]
9 — Zander Darby — [High-A]
6 — Isaiah Barkett — [1 in High-A; 5 in Low-A]
5 — Keiberg Camacaro x2 — [DSL]
4 — Adrián Sugastey — [1 in AAA; 2 in AA; 1 in ACL]
3 — Will Brennan — [AAA]
2 — Josuar González — [ACL]
Wednesday schedule
Sacramento: 12:05 p.m. PT vs. Oklahoma City (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 2:35 p.m. PT doubleheader vs. Hartford (SPs: Greg Farone and Trystan Vrieling)
Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Everett (SP: Luis De La Torre)
San Jose: 1:00 p.m. PT vs. Ontario (SP: TBD)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
D.J. Short
