San Francisco Giants To Call Up Top Pitching Prospect For MLB Debut

The San Francisco Giants have decided to start the clock on their Top 10 pitching prospect for Monday’s game with Philadelphia.

Feb 26, 2024; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Mason Black. / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The final game of the San Francisco Giants’ wraparound four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies will include a Major League debut.

Right-hander Mason Black joined the Giants in Philadelphia on Sunday and was added to their taxi squad. Later, multiple reports noted that Giants manager Bob Melvin said that Black would make his Major League debut on Monday.

San Francisco will make the move pre-game on Monday. It will require both a 26-man roster and 40-man roster move.

Black is the Giants’ No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline and will join a pair of rookies in the rotation in Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn. He is the third-highest ranked pitcher in the organization behind left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, who is also at Sacramento, and right-hander Hayden Birdsong, who is at Double-A.

Black started the season with Triple-A Sacramento and is 2-1 with a 1.01 ERA in six starts. He’s allowed just three earned runs in 26.1 innings, with 29 strikeouts and eight walks.

The Scranton, Penn., native went to Lehigh and was the San Francisco's third-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Now 24 years old, he has a 12-14 record and a 3.22 ERA since he started his professional career.

It’s not clear if Black will remain with the team beyond Monday’s start.

San Francisco’s most notable starting pitching injury is Blake Snell, who went on the injured list last month with an adductor muscle injury. The Giants have taken a bullpen game approach to filling Snell’s spot in the rotation. But Black’s performance at Sacramento appears to have warranted at least a look at the Major League level.

Along with Snell, Robbie Ray, Alex Cobb and Tristan Beck are all on the injured list.

After they’re done in Philadelphia, the Giants head on to Colorado to continue their road trip. If Black gets a second start, it will likely come this weekend at home against the Cincinnati Reds.