SF Giants add former top pitching prospect to active roster

The SF Giants welcomed a new face to the team on Wednesday. Former top pitching prospect Luis Ortiz was added to the active roster and will be tasked with helping a bullpen that has been used heavily in recent days.

SF Giants add former top pitching prospect to active roster

Speedy outfielder Bryce Johnson was optioned to make room for Ortiz. Johnson recorded his first major league hit over the weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ortiz was drafted in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Sanger High School in Sanger, California. The 26-year-old pitching prospect grew up a huge Giants fan as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area dropped this nugget:

I grew up watching Todd Linden as well, but that is probably not the first, second, or ninth name that I would think of when reminiscing of the mid-2000's Giants teams. On a different note, good things happen when he is at Oracle Park, so hopefully, those good vibes continue.

Ortiz came up as a starter and was regarded as one of the better pitching prospects in baseball, ranking as high as No. 62 according to MLB.Com prior to the 2017 baseball season. However, he has transitioned to the bullpen as his career has progressed.

In eight minor league seasons, the right-handed hurler has registered a 3.91 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, and a 2.93 SO/W ratio. Ortiz appeared briefly with the Baltimore Orioles in 2018 and 2019 where he yielded eight earned runs in 5.2 sporadic innings.

The 2022 campaign has been a solid one for the righty in a Sacramento River Cats uniform. He has posted a 4.66 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, and a 5.75 SO/W ratio in 63.2 frames. Ortiz flashes a mid-90's fastball that he pairs with a quality slider to go along with an occasional curve ball and a changeup.

The Giants' bullpen has been taxed recently as they went with a bullpen game on Tuesday followed by a 4.1-inning outing from Alex Cobb on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It does not get any easier in terms of pitching as the Giants are slated for a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. It is a good bet that Ortiz will make his Giants debut by then.