Late Triple-A scratch could mean SF Giants will add young starting pitcher

The Triple-A affiliate for the SF Giants, the Sacramento River Cats, made an interesting move Thursday night by scratching starting pitcher Carson Seymour before his start. Could this mean he will be called up to the big leagues?

Nothing is certain at this point, but it is noteworthy nonetheless. Seymour was scratched shortly before the game in favor of Kai-Wei Teng:

Late scratch could mean SF Giants are calling up young starter

Of course, Seymour's scratch could be due to an injury or illness or some sort of personal matter. But naturally there is going to be speculation that a call-up is imminent.

Giants prospect writer Roger Munter noted on social media that Seymour could end up being on San Francisco's taxi squad as they head to Chicago to take on the White Sox this weekend since they have had to use a lot of their pitching staff as of late and may need a fresh arm.

Seymour has been solid for Sacramento this season, posting a 3.89 ERA in 74 innings pitched. He also has 83 strikeouts compared to 37 walks. He has cooled off a little from his strong start to the season, but he still has put up good numbers and has looked good as far back as spring training.

Seymour is just one of a trio of Carsons in Triple-A who have shown potential. Carson Whisenhunt is the top pitching prospect in the organization and Carson Ragsdale has also shown promise. It would not be at all surprising if at least two of the three Carsons made their MLB debut at some point in 2025.

While San Francisco's starting rotation seemed like a strength earlier this season, the struggles of Justin Verlander and the recent travails of Hayden Birdsong have made it seem like the team could use a shakeup in the rotation. Trading away Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison in the Rafael Devers trade has also thinned out their starting pitching depth a little bit.

If the Giants were to call up Seymour, it seems unlikely that they would immediately plug him into the rotation. It would make more sense to ease him in as a long reliever and the Giants have exhibited patience with their starters through struggles this season so they will probably not pull the plug on Verlander or Birdsong quite yet.

We will have to see if Seymour's scratch portends a roster move or if it is for some other reason. If he does get called up, the Giants will at least be getting a fresh arm who could very well make his MLB debut in Chicago.