Giants call up Whisenhunt

Whisenhunt allowed seven hits and nine hard-hit balls and walked four before his early exit. He still figures to stay in the Giants rotation with the team set to sell prior to Monday’s deadline, but there just isn’t much of interest here, given his lack of control and below average fastball. His excellent changeup can only do so much. He’s due to face the Rangers next.

The Giants didn’t have a starting pitcher listed, but it will be Whisenhunt, who allowed four runs in five innings against the Angels his last time out. The performance was more encouraging than the stat line, as Whisenhunt leaned into his changeup for 15 whiffs and 76 percent strikes. That’s an approach that should work for the left-hander as long as he can locate his fastball up in the zone. He will likely remain in the Giants’ rotation for the rest of the season and could emerge as a streaming option.

He struck out seven, but Jorge Soler and Jo Adell homered off him in a three-run fourth inning. Whisenhunt, who was recalled before the game, took his first loss after winning each of his previous two starts this year. He seems likely to stick in the San Francisco rotation this time around and face the Padres next weekend.

As anticipated, the 25-year-old southpaw will join the Giants to start in Sunday’s series finale against the Angels. Whisenhunt has won both of his starts with the big league club this season, registering a 3.38 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 6/6 K/BB ratio over 10 2/3 innings. He’s worth a look as a streaming option on Sunday and could turn into an asset for the remainder of the season if the trade deadline opens up a spot in the Giants’ rotation.

Whisenhunt draws a favorable matchup against the Angels at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. He misses plenty of bats, but needs to refine his command if he’s going to make the leap to fantasy mainstay at some point in the future. The 25-year-old former top prospect is coming off one of his best performances of the year where he piled up eight punchouts over five scoreless innings at Triple-A Salt Lake last weekend. He figures to get an extended run in San Francisco’s rotation, assuming they’re planning on moving impending free agent Robbie Ray at the upcoming trade deadline. He’s at least worth monitoring closely in deeper mixed leagues.

Whisenhunt threw 50 of his 79 pitches for strikes in a solid effort. He’s also allowed four runs on nine hits in 10 12/3 innings in two starts for the Giants this summer. At this point, the 25-year-old probably deserves a chance to make multiple starts in the MLB rotation to see if he can be an option for the team in 2027.

Whisenhunt pitched the Giants past the Rockies on Thursday, allowing just two runs on three hits over 5 2/3 innings. If there’s still an opening in the Giants’ rotation after the All-Star break, expect Whisenhunt to get another opportunity to stick around. In the meantime, they’ll utilize that roster spot on an extra bullpen arm for the remainder of their weekend series against the Rockies.

Both runs came in the second. Whisenhunt gave up a single and a walk to begin the inning, but he got a double play ball afterwards. He then got ahead of Willi Castro 1-2, only to miss with a bad changeup that was deposited into the stands in left center. Whisenhunt walked three more batters over the course of the outing, but the homer was the only damage. He’s won both of his starts for the Giants this season, and he’ll probably get a longer look in the second half. First, though, he might return to Triple-A until one or two spots open up at the trade deadline.

The Giants have not listed a starting pitcher for Thursday’s game, but have starters listed for every other game this week, so it appears that Whisenhunt could get a start at home against the Rockies on Thursday. In his lone MLB start this season, the left-hander allowed two runs on six hits in five innings against the Braves. He doesn’t have much strikeout upside, but he could be a deep league streamer in a good matchup this week.

Up as the extra man for the Giants in their double header, Whisenhunt pitched well enough to win. He didn’t miss many bats and dealt with plenty of traffic on the bases, but always found a way to wriggle out of the jam. His changeup was critical as oftentimes the only pitch he could consistently put where he wanted and it forced five of his seven swings-and-misses. Likely headed back to the minors directly after this one, Whisenhunt figures to be an option in this rotation at some point in the second half.