My apologies for the scarcity of Minor League roundups lately. After a week off, I was traveling around a bit last week, and the timing of when I was working didn’t always make sense for writing roundups.

But here we are, with everything that happened over the weekend for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates. Let’s get into it!

Link to the 2025 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

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

News

A fair amount of transactions to get caught up on. The Giants made a few promotions, moving High-A RHPs Marques Johnson and Dylan Hecht to AA Richmond, RHP Ben Peterson from Low-A San Jose to Eugene, and LHP Ricardo Estrada from the ACL to San Jose.

Richmond also activated outfielder Vaun Brown from the IL, while San Jose activated RHP Darien Smith and the ACL Giants activated RHP Melvin Pineda.

In less happy news, Eugene LHP Hayden Wynja was moved to the Full-Season IL, San Jose RHP Cale Lansville was moved to the 60-Day IL, and Richmond outfielder Cal Mitchell was released.

AAA Sacramento (36-39)

Saturday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 9-3 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees 11-1 [box score]

The River Cats are feeling fairly talent-stacked at the moment. They’re mostly healthy, and have added some big names since the start of the season, with players like Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) getting promoted from lower levels, and dudes like Luis Matos getting demoted from the Majors. And with Tyler Fitzgerald getting optioned on Monday, Sacramento is only going to see more talent passing through the halls this week.

We’re all hoping that talent is available, though. On Saturday, Eldridge, playing first base, hit 2-3 with a double and a strikeout, but left the game after coming up a little lame rounding the base on his 2-bagger. He didn’t play on Sunday.

It didn’t look like Eldridge’s injury was too bad, but he did immediately call for the trainers before leaving the game. Usually these things end up costing a player a few weeks, but hopefully that’s not the case.

The star on Saturday, however, was Matos, who reached base in all 6 of his plate appearances as the designated hitter. The final tally? A home run, a double, 2 singles, 2 walks, and 3 runs batted in.

Matos didn’t play nearly as well on Sunday, when he went 0-3 with a walk while playing right field, but even so, it’s a .942 OPS and a 144 wRC+ for him since getting optioned. With Jerar Encarnación injured and Daniel Johnson not playing very well, the door is certainly open for Matos to return to the Majors soon.

Speaking of outfielders who had good weekends, center fielder Grant McCray keeps on hitting, as he went 3-9 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. He has really turned his season around.

Left fielder/designated hitter Marco Luciano didn’t have a good statistical weekend, as he hit just 1-8 with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts, but Baseball America offered some reason for optimism with the slugger.

The pitching star was RHP Carson Ragsdale (No. 19 CPL), who started Saturday’s game. It’s been a tough season for the powerful righty, but you wouldn’t know it based on this weekend, when he threw a stunning 55 of 73 pitches for strikes en route to 6 innings, giving up just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs, while striking out 5.

Ragsdal has been dramatically improving as the year goes on:

April: 6 games, 16.2 innings, 17 hits, 13 walks, 15 earned runs, 12 strikeouts
May: 3 games, 9 innings, 8 hits, 2 walks, 3 earned runs, 10 strikeouts
June: 4 games, 16.1 innings, 12 hits, 12 walks, 5 earned runs, 13 strikeouts

The walks definitely still need a lot of work, but he’s making some improvements!

RHP Tristan Beck pitched in relief on Saturday for the 1st time since getting optioned, and gave up just 1 walk in 1.2 shutout innings, with 3 strikeouts. Unfortunately, RHP Juan Mercedes got destroyed on Sunday, as he gave up 9 baserunners and 9 runs in just 2 innings.

AA Richmond (21-46)

Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 1-0 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve 2-1 [box score]

Well, wouldn’t you know it. The Flying Squirrels still can’t figure out how to score.

They can pitch, though! And no one embodied that better than Sunday’s starter, LHP John Michael Bertrand, who was phenomenal. The 2022 10th-round pick tossed 6 shutout innings with just 2 hits and 1 walk allowed, and needed only 78 pitches (in part because he only struck out 2).

After giving up 14 earned runs in 21.1 innings in April, the southpaw has ceded just 14 earned runs in 50.2 innings since, with an ERA in the 2s in both May and June. That’s brought his ERA down to 3.50 (albeit with a 4.53 FIP), though it’s still fair to wonder if a 27-year old with just 6.1 strikeouts per 9 innings in AA can find success at the Major League level.

Despite the low-scoring game, Saturday’s starter wasn’t as successful, as LHP Joe Whitman (No. 9 CPL) struggled to find the strike zone. Whitman was able to limit the damage to just 1 run, but only made it through 3.2 innings, while allowing 2 hits and 4 walks, and throwing 72 pitches, just 43 of which were strikes. It’s been an odd season for him, with a lot to like and a lot to be concerned about.

Some great bullpen performances, especially from people who have been struggling lately: RHP Will Bednar (No. 42 CPL) gave up just 1 hit in 2 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts; RHP Cameron Cotter struck out the side in a scoreless inning with 1 walk allowed; and RHP Ian Villers tossed a perfect frame with a strikeout. All 3 have very bloated ERAs, so nice to see. RHP Marques Johnson made his AA debut and allowed a hit and a walk, but no runs in 1.1 innings.

On offense, second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 16 CPL) had a decent weekend, hitting 1-6 with a double, 2 walks, and a stolen base, though he also had 4 strikeouts. Right fielder Victor Bericoto (No. 14 CPL) had a similar weekend, going 2-7 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Center fielder Turner Hill went 0-1 as a pinch-hitter on Saturday, but went 2-4 with a pair of triples on Sunday as he showed off his speed.

Designated hitter/catcher Onil Perez (No. 37 CPL) continues to look comfortable after a recent promotion. He hit 1-5 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts. He has an .855 OPS and a 163 wRC+ through 5 games at the level.

High-A Eugene (33-35)

Sunday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 4-0 [box score]

Just 1 game for the Ems, who had Saturday’s contest postponed due to weather.

The game they did play was a bust, at least on offense. Eugene only had 4 baserunners all game, with the best day belonging to designated hitter Guillermo Williamson, who hit 2-3, but also gave some of it back by getting picked off. The 21-year old lefty has only played 19 games this year, but he’s really struggled in those games, and his power just hasn’t shown up.

The pitching was a bit more exciting. LHP Nick Zwack got the start, as the 2021 17th-round pick (by the Mets) moved his rehab from the ACL to High-A (he remains listed on AA Richmond’s roster). After a dominant showing rehabbing in the ACL, where he had 16 strikeouts against just 1 walk, and no runs in 12.1 innings, Zwack ran into some issues in High-A. He gave up 6 hits — 2 of which left the park — and 4 runs in just 3.2 innings, though he did have 5 strikeouts without a walk.

Zwack’s return pushed RHP Shane Rademacher into a piggybacking role, but he thrived there, allowing just 2 hits, 2 walks, and 0 runs in 5 innings of work, while striking out 2. Rademacher had slowed down quite a bit after his brilliant start, so nice to see him have a good performance again. The 24-year old undrafted free agent from 2023 now has a 2.84 ERA and a 4.05 FIP on the season.

Low-A San Jose (44-25)

Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 3-2 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts 3-1 [box score]

Some delightful pitching from the Baby Giants over the weekend as the won a pair of low-scoring contests. It started with one of the more exciting arms in the farm, as RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 36 CPL) took the mound to begin the festivities on Saturday, and struck out 4 batters in 3 innings, with just 2 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run allowed.

Maldonado has been far from perfect this year, with a 3.52 ERA and a 3.97 FIP, but it’s just exciting to see that the electricity remains in his arm after losing 2024 to Tommy John surgery … he has 39 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. And after giving up 7 earned runs in 11.2 innings in his 1st 5 starts of the year, Maldonado has washed off the rust and has allowed just 5 earned runs in 19 innings since.

Closing out Saturday’s game was RHP Ryan Slater, who pitched 2 perfect innings and struck out 3. Last year’s 18th-round pick is on a serious heater: in his last 3 games, he’s pitched 6.2 no-hit innings with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks. He has a 2.36 ERA and a 3.24 FIP.

Everyone else who pitched over the weekend was great, too: LHP Tyler Switalksi allowed just 3 baserunners and 1 unearned run in 4 innings with 3 strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 4.44 and his FIP to 4.10; RHP Drake George started on Sunday and allowed 4 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run in 4 innings, with 4 strikeouts, dipping his ERA to 3.48 and his FIP to 2.93; RHP Darien Smith give up just 1 hit and 1 walk in 3 shutout innings, with 3 strikeouts, which dropped his ERA to 1.04, albeit with a 4.13 FIP; and RHP Cade Vernon allowed just 1 hit in 2 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts, and now has a 2.32 ERA and a 4.97 FIP.

On offense, center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 8 CPL) had a really nice weekend, hitting 4-9 with a walk, a strikeout, and 2 stolen bases. Jordan’s lack of in-game power remains a little confounding, but a .307 batting average and a 23.3% strikeout rate are extremely encouraging signs, as is 21 stolen bases. If and when Jordan, who has an .819 OPS and a 128 wRC+, finds the power that make him one of the most intriguing players in last year’s draft, then watch out.

Third baseman Walker Martin (No. 14 CPL) continued to have a season that is the complete opposite of Jordan’s. He had a delightful Saturday, hitting 2-3 with a triple, a double, a walk, and a stolen base, before taking Sunday off. The 2023 2nd-rounder has just a .221 batting average and a 29.9% strikeout rate in his 2nd pass through the level, but has been a power machine, with a .211 isolated slugging driving his .765 OPS and his 112 wRC+.

Right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 17 CPL) hasn’t yet had the season he was hoping for, but he went 4-9 with a double and a strikeout over the weekend, raising his OPS to .639 and his wRC+ to 77.

Arizona Complex League (26-11)

Saturday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Cubs 6-0 [box score]

Fantastic offensive games for a few players, but especially for third baseman Ramon Peralta (21 years, 2021 IFA). The righty was dominant, hitting 4-5 and finishing a triple shy of the cycle, while knocking in a pair of runs. Peralta dominated the ACL last year but struggled mightily in a short stint with San Jose. He’s back to dominating this year — he has a .938 OPS and a 148 wRC+ — and hopefully will get another A-Ball chance soon.

Center fielder Andy Polanco (20 years, 2024 11th-round) also was a hit machine, hitting a perfect 4-4, though all of his knocks were singles. It’s been a highly successful debut season for Polanco, who has a .321 batting average, a .836 OPS, and a 123 wRC+.

Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 6 CPL, 18 years, 2024 IFA) continues to play swell baseball, as he hit 1-3 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and a strikeout. The switch-hitter’s debut stateside season has been a smashing success, with a .912 OPS, a 129 wRC+, 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts, and an exceptional 16.0% strikeout rate. Absolutely delightful!

But a serious day to forget for second baseman Dario Reynoso (20 years, 2023 IFA), who struck out in all 5 of his plate appearances. Ouch!!! It’s still been a fantastic season for him just … not a fantastic Saturday.

A fantastic 4-arm shutout, which was highlighted by a dynamic showing courtesy of LHP Ricardo Estrada (22 years, 2021 IFA). Estrada was nothing short of dynamic, giving up just 1 hit in 5 shutout innings while striking out 5 batters and facing the minimum. After 4 years in the DSL, Estrada is getting his chance stateside and making the absolute most of it, with a 1.53 ERA, a 3.40 FIP, and a blissful 44 strikeouts against 7 walks in 35.1 innings. After a strong May, he’s been dominant in June, giving up just 11 hits, 2 walks, and 2 earned runs in 19.2 innings, with 25 strikeouts. The ACL Giants have had some sensational pitching this year, and he’s been a big part of that, but that’s about to change, as he was promoted to Low-A San Jose after the game.

RHP Melvin Pineda (21 years, 2021 IFA) was the opener and struck out the side in an inning of work, with a walk. Through 4 games and 5.1 innings this year, Pineda has allowed just 2 hits, 2 walks, and 0 earned runs, while striking out 10 batters. What a start to the year for a pitcher who made just 1 appearance in the ACL in his stateside debut in 2023, before an injury cost him the rest of the year and all of 2024.

Dominican Summer League Black (12-3)

Saturday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Angels 6-3 [box score]

Really nothing notable in this one. Nobody had a particularly good pitching game. Second baseman Yosneiker Rivas (19 years, 2023 IFA) had the best offensive game, hitting 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base. In his 3rd pass through the DSL he has a 1.038 OPS, a 172 wRC+, 3 stolen bases, and just a 15.3% strikeout rate.

Left fielder Evan Estevez (17 years, 2024 IFA) went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts, but also drew 2 walks and stole his 3rd base of the year, while recording an outfield assist. He’s trying to get his season on track.

Dominican Summer League Orange (10-4)

Saturday: DSL Giants Orange lost to DSL Arizona Red 9-8 (8 innings) [box score]

A very sloppy day for the Giants Orange squad, as they committed 4 errors and walked 11 batters, while only striking out 6.

The notable performances came on offense, from a pair of players who have been having strong starts to the year. Second baseman Jose Astudillo (21 years, 2021 IFA) and first baseman Diego Villegas (21 years, 2021 IFA) both hit 2-4 with a double. Astudillo, who also drew a walk, has a 1.013 OPS and a 167 wRC+, with just a 9.8% strikeout rate. Villegas, who had a strikeout, has a 1.063 OPS and a 188 wRC+, with twice as many walks as strikeouts. Excellent seasons for each, though it’s also their 5th pass through the level, which is a fairly large dose of cold water.

Home run tracker

AAA Luis Matos (7 total, 3 in AAA)
ACL Ramon Peralta (2)