Why the SF Giants should keep lefty pitching prospect on the roster for the rest of the year

The SF Giants added Carson Whisenhunt to the roster, and the young lefty pitching prospect has already made two starts with the club. There is a good chance that he remains with the team for the remainder of the year.

Why the SF Giants should keep lefty pitching prospect on the roster for the rest of the year

This is not directly related to performance. Although, Whisenhunt notched his first win on Sunday in a 12-4 victory over the New York Mets. He held a tough Mets lineup to just one earned run across 5.1 innings.

This is also not directly related to need. The Giants do have a need in the rotation. Logan Webb and Robbie Ray have solidifed the front of the rotation, but the back is light on options and depth. Justin Verlander is part of that other segment. The Giants hope to get Landen Roupp back soon. Roupp has put together a strong first full season with San Francisco.

No, this has to do with roster management. Whisenhunt was already eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter. The Giants knew that they were going to protect him from that by adding him to the 40-man roster. Of course, they sidestepped that discussion by selecting his contract in July.

The Giants now need to be careful with this decision. They do not want to promote him and then send him back down, thereby potentially burning a minor league option year this late in the season. That would be a waste, but it is something they have done recently with Wade Meckler.

An option year is used when a player spends at least 20 days in the minors on an optional assignment. This does not include a rehab assignment. A player does not immediately lose an option year when he is optioned. That point is often confusing.

Less than two months remain this season, both in the majors and in Triple-A. With Whisenhunt, they want to be sure that they preserve his roster flexibility going forward. If he sticks with the team through the middle of September, they will have avoided this issue.

While the 24-year-old pitching prospect threw well enough on Sunday to earn another start or two, there is a good chance that he will be up longer than that. With where the rotation is, he could stick for the remainder of the year. This is also a good audition stretch for Whisenhunt, as many spots for the 2026 starting rotation are