San Francisco Giants makes latest roster move after southpaw prospect scratched out

San Francisco Giants pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt was scheduled to start for the Sacramento River Cats against the Las Vegas Aviators on Saturday night, but he was scratched at the last minute — possibly indicating the Giants are planning a roster move.

 

 

SF Giants could be preparing for roster move after top pitching prospect was scratched from Saturday’s start

Left-handed pitcher Antonio Jimenez has been called upon to replace Carson Whisenhunt. While no official explanation has been given, the reasoning behind the move seems fairly apparent.

 

 

With Landen Roupp sidelined, the Giants’ rotation has been reduced to just three healthy starters. Logan Webb and Robbie Ray have done their part to anchor the front end, but Justin Verlander has underperformed in his 17 starts.

The Giants are clearly in need of more starting pitching depth. As of Saturday night, they hadn’t announced a starter for Sunday’s matchup with the New York Mets. A bullpen game is one option, likely with Carson Seymour covering most of the innings.

 

 

That approach is viable but puts added strain on the bullpen. It might be manageable for a short stretch, but ideally, the team would prefer to rely on a true starter. That’s where Whisenhunt could factor in.

The 24-year-old lefty is one of San Francisco’s top pitching prospects, though he’s not currently on the 40-man roster, meaning a move would be required to bring him up.

 

 

Whisenhunt opened the season on a strong note, but recent struggles—possibly linked to fatigue—have crept in. He has a limited innings background, having never thrown more than 109.2 innings in a season. He reached that total last year and is on pace to exceed it this season.

Through 97.2 innings at Triple-A Sacramento, Whisenhunt holds a 4.42 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 1.33 WHIP, 7.92 K/9, and a 3.07 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s walking fewer batters than he did last season, though his strikeout rate has dipped.

 

 

It may simply be time to get him out of the Pacific Coast League, where high-elevation ballparks have impacted his performance, particularly on the road. His pitch arsenal tends to play better at lower altitudes.

Whisenhunt features a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, a fading changeup that serves as his best weapon, and a gyro-style slider in the low 80s that has developed into a solid secondary option. His fastball velocity was stronger earlier in the year, but maintaining it has become more difficult as the season progresses.