Trevor

McDonald

Gilbert’s departure makes it a near-lock that Jerar Encarnacion along with either Luis Matos or Jared Oliva will break camp in the big leagues.

The 25-year-old hurler punched out four batters on the night while issuing one base on balls. The damage done against him all came via the long ball as Lenyn Sosa launched a solo shot in the second inning and Derek Hill did the same in the third. McDonald got eight swings and misses on 52 offerings in the contest, registering a CSW of 31 percent. He has had an impressive spring for the Giants, posting a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and an 11/2 K/BB ratio over 10 innings in his four appearances.

In adding Mahle and Adrian Houser, the Giants didn’t leave any room in their projected rotation for McDonald or their other youngsters. Still, McDonald is one of the candidates to be the first man added after impressing in two starts and one relief appearance at the end of last season (1.80 ERA, 14/2 K/BB in 15 IP). He’s yet to allow a run and has amassed a 7/1 K/BB in six innings this spring.

One can’t help but wish that McDonald could make one more start in 2025 just to see how real this is. After silencing the Dodgers in his first MLB start, McDonald was outstanding again against the lowly Rockies; although the line becomes less impressive because he gave up a three-run jack to Ezequiel Tovar. The 24-year-old has struck out 13 batters over as many innings as a starter, and he pounded the strike zone Friday with no walks and 68-of-89 pitches landing for strikes. McDonald had zero prospect hype, but it’s not hard to imagine he’s going to get a chance to win a rotation spot in 2026.

McDonald struck out three batters on the afternoon while issuing one base on balls. He kept the vaunted Dodgers’ offense at bay through the first six innings but allowed a walk and a pair of singles to open the seventh inning, the second of which plated the game’s first run. The 24-year-old hurler got 11 swings and misses on 89 pitches on the day — seven on his curveball — while posting a strong CSW of 34 percent. He has earned the opportunity to make another start on Saturday against the Rockies and will make for an intriguing streaming option for fantasy purposes in the final week of the season.

McDonald provides San Francisco’s bullpen with a fresh arm for Tuesday’s showdown against the Diamondbacks. The 24-year-old righty hasn’t pitched in the big league since making his big-league debut last September.

McDonald will spend more time down on the farm to open the 2025 season. The 24-year-old righty tossed three scoreless frames last September in his lone appearance for San Francisco.

If McDonald gets into Sunday’s game — and it seems likely — he’ll be making his MLB debut. The right-hander has a 4.60 ERA over three different levels with a 78/30 K/BB across 86 innings.

Ramos is the headliner among a batch of cuts from Giants camp earlier this week, but the former top prospect hasn’t quite ever put it together at the highest level. He has a ton of over-the-fence pop, but his plate skills leave much to be desired. Wisely and Hummel have big-league experience, but project as bench depth in a best-case scenario.

The 22-year-old right-hander was phenomenal in nine appearances (eight starts) at High-A Eugene in 2023 — posting a minuscule 0.96 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and a 39/8 K/BB ratio over 37 2/3 innings. He’s likely to begin the 2024 season at Double-A Richmond, where if he shows anything near that same level of dominance he could become an option to join the big league club.