Adam Duvall hits for cycle: Should San Francisco Giants call up red-hot Sacramento Rivercats star?

While the last-place Giants (4-10) were on the way to their ninth loss in 10 games, Adam Duvall was busy recording the Sacramento Rivercats’ (8-3) first ever cycle while keeping them atop the Pacific Coast League standings.

Duvall finished the game, a 15-7 victory over the Salt Lake Bees, with five hits, crushing opposing pitching with two RBI doubles, a near-500 ft. home run and an RBI triple before finishing things off with a soft tapper that went for an infield single.

Now batting .457 on the season with a .870 slugging percentage, and with the Giants in the MLB’s bottom three in runs scored, the case for bringing up Duvall has never been stronger.

Realistically, though, should San Francisco make the call?

Honestly, the answer is no. As much as it hurts to see the team sputtering at the plate, there simply aren’t enough at-bats to go around with the way the roster is currently constructed. As it stands, there’s no shortage of players at the corner infield spots and the emergence of Matt Duffy eliminates any chance of Duvall seeing the occasional spot start. Plus, despite the fact that he’s occupied third for most of his minor league career, the kid is still getting a handle on the position.

Purely in a bench/pinch-hitting role, the Giants clearly prefer Andrew Susac—called up when Jake Peavy hit the disabled list this past weekend—given the struggles of Hector Sanchez and the fact that he resembled a more polished product at the plate in 2014. In 28 games spread across four months, Duvall never really settled in, finishing the year with a .192 average and 20 strikeouts in just 77 at-bats.

Duvall’s set a torrid pace thus far, but the Giants would risk stifling his progression by calling him up to ride the pine. Even if a position player were to suddenly go down, Travis Ishikawa appears ready to rejoin the big-league roster.

So, in summary, let’s pump the breaks on Mr. Duvall for a moment. Though I was quick to jump on his bandwagon when it looked like Casey McGehee was on his way to the injury ward, he’s best served sticking in Sacramento for now.

Fair warning: I might flip-flop again based on how this next week goes.

Next: What Susac brings to SF