​Carson Whisenhunt appears likely to get the ball for the San Francisco Giants before the All-Star break, according to manager Tony Vitello on Wednesday. With no starter officially named for Thursday’s showdown against the Colorado Rockies, there’s a strong likelihood the left-hander will be tapped to take the mound.
Whisenhunt’s last appearance came on July 1, which further fuels the expectation that Thursday’s spot in the rotation could belong to him. The Giants don’t seem to have shuffled anyone out of the rotation to accommodate him, as they’ve listed Robbie Ray for Friday, Tyler Mahle for Saturday, and Trevor McDonald for the finale against Colorado before the break. Of course, rotations can change, and Sunday would be Landen Roupp’s next scheduled start. He would be facing a long layoff after Friday night’s win over the Blue Jays and would slot somewhere in the post-break rotation, which remains to be announced. If McDonald sticks to a Sunday schedule, he would be coming off four days’ rest after a rough outing Tuesday, where he gave up eight runs in 2 ⅔ innings.
Whisenhunt spent Wednesday at Oracle Park on the taxi squad, allowing him to go through his long toss with the Giants and consult with the pitching coaches ahead of the game. In his recent form, he’s yielded 10 runs across 8 ⅓ innings over his last two starts with Triple-A Sacramento, both outings taking place in hitter-friendly parks, Las Vegas and El Paso. Prior to those two starts, he hadn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his previous three outings. “If you look at his body of work, he’s trending upward for sure,” Vitello said.
If the Giants end up trading one of their impending free agents at season’s end, such as Ray or Mahle, Whisenhunt could wind up remaining in the rotation if he delivers a strong performance in his expected Thursday start.
Whisenhunt, 25, previously appeared as the 26th man in a doubleheader in Atlanta last month, allowing six hits and two runs over five innings. He made five starts with the Giants last year, finishing 2-1 with a 5.01 ERA. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him as San Francisco’s 11th-best prospect.
Cox to IL: Speedy utilityman Jonah Cox was placed on the 10-day injured list just before Wednesday’s game with Toronto due to a left oblique strain. In his stead, the Giants called up rookie catcher/utilityman Jesus Rodriguez. Cox, who had been promoted directly from Double-A Richmond on May 31, was hitting .269 and had gone 4-for-4 on stolen-base attempts. Rodriguez had previously batted .231/.302/.385 with two homers in 14 games for the Giants earlier this season and is now hitting .274/.353/.405 with five homers in 49 games at Triple-A Sacramento, primarily catching but also making starts at second, third, and left field.
Chapman update: Third baseman Matt Chapman announced that his second child, a son named Jack, arrived on July 2, three days earlier than expected. He noted that his wife, Taylor, went into labor almost exactly when Chapman exited the Giants’ game in Arizona with an abdominal strain, adding, “It’s really bizarre how the world works sometimes.”