Giants ship Matt Wilkinson back to Triple-A

The 23-year-old southpaw struck out four batters in the contest while issuing a pair of walks. Wilkinson actually shut the Diamondbacks out through six innings but returned for the seventh where he issued a pair of walks before turning the ball over to the bullpen — then both inherited runners ultimately scored. Wilkinson has made three starts with the Giants this season, posting a 4.63 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 6/2 K/BB ratio over 11 2/3 innings. He’ll head back to Triple-A Sacramento where he’ll continue to bide his time until another opening arises in the Giants’ rotation.

The pitcher they affectionately call “Tugboat” draws the starting assignment for the front-end of Saturday’s doubleheader at Oracle Park. The 23-year-old allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings across a pair of appearances earlier this month. He misses enough bats to be interesting from a long-term standpoint, but he’s not a recommended fantasy option at this stage of his career.

Whisenhunt said this felt different than the elbow sprain that cost him the final two months of 2023, and he’s hoping it might just be a pinched nerve. "[I’ve] never really felt anything like this,” he said after the game. “I don’t really know kind of where to be at with it. So just kind of play it by ear and get the MRI tomorrow and then go from there.” The Giants could recall Matt Wilkinson if Whisenhunt goes on the IL.

He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out two. Wilkinson threw 66 pitches on three days’ rest after his two-inning MLB debut on Wednesday. With Adrian Houser moving back to the rotation, it’s unclear if Wilkinson will get a start next time through. Sending him down for a fresh arm might be a possibility.

Wilkinson started but was effectively used as an opener, limited to 25 pitches before Adrian Houser took over and threw the next five frames. “Tugboat” didn’t record any strikeouts while averaging 90.1 mph with his four-seamer. He was drafted by the Guardians in 2023 but traded to the Giants earlier this season as part of a package for catcher Patrick Bailey. He won’t have fantasy value unless he gets stretched out at the big-league level.

Wilkinson will make his major-league debut against his former organization in Cleveland on Wednesday evening. The 23-year-old southpaw, who earned the nickname “Tugboat” several years ago in the minors, came over from the Guardians in the Patrick Bailey trade back in May. He’s not a recommended streaming option outside of extremely deep fantasy leagues, but he’s an interesting arm with enough strikeout potential to envision a future where he’s an impactful rotation piece. He’s posted a pedestrian 5.15 ERA along with a 43/17 K/BB ratio across 43 2/3 innings for Triple-A Sacramento this season.

Wilkinson will get the nod for his MLB debut. The man they call “Tugboat” has a 5.15 ERA and 43/17 ERA in his 43 2/3 innings for Triple-A Sacramento. Wilkson has a chance to be a decent option in the coming years, but it’d be risky to trust him as a streamer Wednesday.

It’d be the MLB debut for the 23-year-old Wilkenson, who has a 5.15 ERA and a 43/17 K/BB in 43 2/3 innings over 10 starts since moving up to Triple-A Sacramento. It seems likely that he’ll pitch in middle relief initially, as the Giants pen is pretty worn out after Sunday’s loss to the Rockies.

Wilkinson, also known as Tugboat, came to the Giants early in May as part of the Patrick Bailey trade. The 23-year-old left-hander made three starts for the Giants in Double-A and has a 1.87 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 49/13 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 total Double-A innings this season. If he adapts well to Triple-A, he could be an option for the Giants down the stretch.

The trade is now official. Wilkinson, affectionately nicknamed Tugboat, has posted astronomical strikeout rates in the lower minors the last couple years and has looked outstanding at Double-A Akron this season, registering a microscopic 1.59 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 36/9 K/BB ratio across 28 1/3 innings over six starts. The 23-year-old southpaw has a chance to reach the majors next season and projects as a bat-missing back-of-the-rotation X-factor for the Giants, who also pick up a first-round selection in the deal to use later this summer.