SF Giants recall top pitching prospect Kyle Harrison in series of roster moves

The SF Giants officially recalled top pitching prospect Kyle Harrison from Triple-A Sacramento amidst several roster moves.

The SF Giants officially recalled left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison (Giants Top Pitching Prospect) from Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday amidst several roster moves. They also reinstated rookie reliever Ryan Walker from the paternity list, optioning right-handed pitcher Sean Hjelle and outfielder Heliot Ramos (Giants Top 30 Prospect) while transferring injured infielder Mark Mathias to the 60-day injured list. It was reported over the weekend that Harrison would be making his big-league debut against the Phillies. Hjelle had taken Walker's place on the roster when he first went on the paternity list last week.

The consensus top pitching prospect in the Giants organization (and arguably the best in the minors), Harrison has spent the entire 2023 season at Triple-A Sacramento. He has a 4.79 ERA with 92 strikeouts and 44 walks in 56.1 innings pitched (15 games) prior to the injury. In three starts since returning to Triple-A, Harrison has allowed four earned runs on eight hits and four walks with 13 strikeouts across 9.1 innings pitched.

Harrison has the potential to be one of the best starting pitchers in MLB. However, he remains far away from reaching his ceiling. Harrison has three potential plus pitches, but has relied almost entirely on his fastball and breaking ball this season. His fastball has consistently sat in the mid-90s, reaching 98 mph at times, and plays above its velocity because of some excellent characteristics. His slider has long been his best swing-and-miss pitch, although its movement was so extreme that he developed a subtler breaking ball this season to more easily throw an offspeed pitch for strikes to try and lure more opposing hitters to chase the more devastating offering.

Right-handed hitters did significant damage against Harrison at Triple-A, hitting .232/.382/.518 against him (lefties managed a meager .167/.278/.226 line). With that said, Harrison has flashed a potential plus changeup in the past that should be able to help equalize those issues.

Harrison, who just turned 22, emerged as a consensus top-50 prospect in the minor leagues last season after splitting his time between Eugene and Richmond. He recorded 186 strikeouts and only 49 walks in 113 innings with an exceptional 2.71 ERA between High-A and Double-A.

While Harrison was recently out with a hamstring strain, he returned to the field despite an erroneous report by Keith Law of The Athletic.

Harrison's injury ended the possibility of Harrison making his debut with the Giants sooner, however, given the timing of the call up, it is worth wondering if the timing was driven by service time incentives. There are fewer than 45 days remaining in the 2023 season, meaning the Giants will retain the chance to receive Prospect Promotion Incentive compensation if Harrison goes on to win awards down the line.

Walker has been one of the Giants' most consistent rookies this season, posting a 2.23 ERA across 41.1 innings pitched (32 games) out of San Francisco's bullpen. Manager Gabe Kapler will be happy to have the sidearmer back.

Hjelle has oscillated between Triple-A and the majors for the past two seasons. In fact, he has now been optioned five times this season, meaning he will have to clear waivers before he can be optioned again. Hjelle has had a rough season with the Giants, although he has primarily been used in cannon fodder situations. He has an 8.59 ERA on the season, but more advanced numbers suggest he suffered from some bad luck (5.12 xERA, 4.81 FIP, 4.16 xFIP). At Triple-A, though, Hjelle has not been much better. In 17 starts (72.2 innings pitched), he has a 6.32 ERA.

Ramos has seen his prospect stock fall over the past few seasons. However, he is in the middle of his most productive minor-league campaign since at least 2019. On the season, Ramos is hitting .303/.359/.543 with 12 doubles and 10 home runs in 50 games.

Ramos' has had a true tale of two seasons. Ramos continued to struggle against upper-level pitching early this season, including at Triple-A. He hit just .192/.222/.269 with a pair of doubles, a walk, and eight strikeouts in 27 plate appearances in the majors, although he was showing signs that he was on the cusp of a major breakthrough. Then, he landed on the injured list.

After a prolonged hiatus, Ramos began a rehab assignment at Single-A San Jose and began elevating the ball more effectively than he ever has as a pro. Then, after returning to Triple-A, Ramos posted a .330/.377/.650 line with seven doubles, three triples, and six home runs in 28 games (106 plate appearances). Ramos' strikeout (27.4%) and walk (6.6%) rates have both gone in the wrong direction, but that's not necessarily a sign of regression. Swings with a greater focus on loft tend to come with an increase in whiffs, and higher walk rates can come from an overly passive approach at the plate.

He also had his most impressive stint in the majors with the Giants since he was recalled, hitting .267/.353/.600 in 17 plate appearances, including a trio of extra-base hits against opposing closers. In fact, Ramos has hit .302/.351/.733 with nine doubles, two triples, and eight home runs in 94 plate appearances against southpaws across all levels this season, including his limited sample in the majors.

With several veteran outfielders on the injured list, it seemed like an ideal opportunity to see if Ramos could solidify a role with consistent playing time. However, the organization is clearly lower on Ramos and opted to call up outfielder Wade Meckler (Giants Top 22 Prospect) instead. With Meckler receiving the lion's share of opportunities since his promotion, the writing was on the wall that a demotion was coming for Ramos.

Mathias was acquired at the trade deadline from the Mariners in a minor deal and went 2-for-10 with the Giants before he was subsequently placed on the injured list.

The SF Giants made several roster moves on Tuesday, but fans are focused on one thing and one thing only, the dawn of the Kyle Harrison era.