SF Giants place veteran reliever on paternity list, recall Sean Hjelle

The SF Giants placed right-handed pitcher Luke Jackson on the paternity list on Monday, recalling former second-round pick Sean Hjelle from Triple-A.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 25, 2023

SF Giants place veteran reliever on paternity list, recall Sean Hjelle /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants placed veteran reliever Luke Jackson on the paternity list on Monday afternoon, recalling right-handed pitcher Sean Hjelle (Giants Top 40 Prospect) from Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. MLB allows players to spend three days on the paternity list, so Jackson will presumably return to the active roster on Friday for the start of San Francisco's final series of the season.

Hjelle, the Giants' second-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, was in position to solidify himself on the team's pitching staff early this season after an impressive spring training. However, he struggled early in the season and was soon usurped by other young pitchers like Tristan Beck, Ryan Walker, Keaton Winn, and Kyle Harrison. He has also been unable to bounce back from his slow start. Over the course of the season, Hjelle has posted an 8.10 ERA in 23.1 MLB innings and a 6.03 ERA in 91 innings pitched at Triple-A.

Hjelle has already been optioned six times this season, which means the Giants will need to subject him to waivers before they can option him again. Any team would have the opportunity to claim Hjelle in that scenario, but it's not a guarantee given his struggles.

Jackson has been a solid middle reliever for the Giants since he returned from UCL surgery earlier this season. Jackson has recorded a 2.97 ERA (3.29 FIP) in 33.1 innings pitched (33 appearances) with 43 strikeouts and 15 walks. Jackson has not quite had his previous success as a top late-inning option in close games but has clearly taken some positive steps forward in his first season since surgery.

Published Sep 25, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).