SF Giants recall prospects Sean Hjelle and Heliot Ramos from Triple-A

The SF Giants recalled right-handed pitcher Sean Hjelle and outfielder Heliot Ramos from Triple-A Sacramento.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 17, 2022

SF Giants recall prospects Sean Hjelle and Heliot Ramos from Triple-A /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants made a pair of roster moves before their game against the Dodgers on Saturday. The Giants recalled right-handed pitcher Sean Hjelle and outfielder Heliot Ramos from their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. In corresponding moves, they optioned right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz and corner bat Willie Calhoun to Triple-A.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler had already discussed Hjelle returning to the big-league roster after a fantastic five-inning outing during the team's doubleheader against the Brewers. Reliever John Brebbia will start against the Dodgers on Saturday, but Hjelle is expected to handle the bulk of the remaining innings.

Ramos made his MLB debut earlier this season. The Giants 2018 first-round pick, Ramos has long been one of the organization's best prospects. However, he has easily had his worst season as a pro in 2022. In 101 games at Triple-A, Ramos has a .223/.303/.333 triple-slash, one of the worst in the Pacific Coast League. In 14 big-league plate appearances earlier this season, Ramos recorded two hits, one walk, and three strikeouts

SF Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle warms up before a game. — Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Hjelle was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2018 draft. A nearly seven-foot tall righty out of the University of Kentucky, Hjelle has always relied on a low-90s fastball and curveball, rarely racking up big strikeout numbers. However, he has worked on a new pitch this season, adding a promising cutter in his outing against Milwaukee.

Hjelle has been fine at Triple-A this season, posting a 4.92 ERA in 97 innings pitched (22 starts) with 80 strikeouts and 38 walks. In four appearances with the Giants this season, Hjelle has a 5.73 ERA with 15 strikeouts and four walks in 11 innings pitched.

The Giants acquired Calhoun in a trade earlier this season. However, he was not promoted to the majors with San Francisco until last week. In eight plate appearances across four games, Calhoun managed just one hit, an RBI single, with a strikeout and two walks. He has a .299/.386/.465 triple-slash with five home runs in 41 games in Sacramento.

Ortiz signed a minor-league deal with the Giants prior to this season. At Triple-A, Ortiz posted a 4.66 ERA in 63.2 innings pitched with an excellent 69:12 strikeout:walk ratio. He made four big-league appearances with the Giants, surrendering just one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts across 6.1 innings pitched.

Published Sep 17, 2022

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).