SF Giants call up Tyler Fitzgerald, Marco Luciano in flurry of moves

The SF Giants unofficially put up the white flag on Thursday, recalling prospects Marco Luciano, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Tristan Beck from Triple-A.

The SF Giants recalled shortstop Marco Luciano (Giants Top 4 Prospect), shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (Giants Top 13 Prospect), and right-handed pitcher Tristan Beck from Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday. To clear space on the roster, the Giants released veteran shortstop Paul DeJong, placed shortstop Brandon Crawford on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain, and optioned right-handed pitcher Sean Hjelle (Giants Top 40 Prospect) to Triple-A Sacramento.

SF Giants prospect Tyler Fitzgerald attempts to tag D.J. Burt. (2021) / Andy Nelson via Imagn Content Services, LLC

This is the first time Tyler Fitzgerald has received a big-league call-up. Originally drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Fitzgerald has been one of the organization's steadiest producers since he turned pro. Fitzgerald recently recorded his second consecutive 20-20 season. He has hit .292/.365/.511 with 26 doubles, seven triples, 22 home runs, and 32 stolen bases (35 attempts) in 121 games this season between Double-A and Triple-A.

Last season, Fitzgerald spent the entire campaign with the Giants Double-A affiliate in Richmond, hitting .229/.310/.424 with 21 home runs and 20 stolen bases (21 attempts), becoming the first player to record a 20-20 season in Flying Squirrels history. Fitzgerald's numbers were held down by a slow start in the Eastern League, but he posted an amazing .296/.355/.559 triple-slash to finish the season. 

Still, Fitzgerald's struggles with contact (32.9% strikeout rate in 2022) led the team to send him back to Richmond to start this year. After an excellent April, Fitzgerald was named the Eastern League Player of the Month and promptly promoted to Triple-A, where he has been since.

Fitzgerald is on the older side for a prospect. He turned 26 last week, he still possesses some of the most intriguing collections of tools in the system. Fitzgerald is an above-average athlete who is surprisingly fluid in his lanky 6'3'' frame. He has showcased plenty of defensive versatility this season, playing center field for the first time in his career. Developed as a shortstop, Fitzgerald has some similarities with players like Chris Taylor and Mauricio Dubón.

At the plate, Fitzgerald's contact skills remain the biggest question facing his big-league future. He has above-average power potential, showcased by his ability to hit 60 home runs over the past three seasons despite a strikeout rate approaching 30%. He's done a good job cutting down his strikeouts since arriving in Sacramento, but he has seemingly sacrificed some power to do that. Now, he will face a new challenge against big-league competition.

Luciano, the Giants best power-hitting prospect, made his big-league debut back in July but was optioned back to the minor leagues shortly after some veteran infielders returned from the injured list. In his brief MLB stint, Luciano went 3-for-11 with a walk and five strikeouts. He only has a .209/.321/.418 line with two doubles and four home runs in 78 plate appearances at Triple-A and hit 228/.339/.451 with 12 doubles and 11 home runs in 56 games at Double-A.

Beck has been one of San Francisco's most consistent rookies this season after learning to trust his arsenal and was a top-16 prospect in the organization before he exhausted his rookie eligibility. Beck has a 4.04 ERA in 75.2 innings pitched (31 games) with 62 strikeouts and 30 walks in the majors this season and a 5.88 ERA across 26 innings (nine appearances) at Triple-A.

Hjelle was briefly recalled to the majors earlier this week but was used in long relief and will now clear a spot for Beck. Hjelle has an 8.10 ERA in 23.1 MLB innings this season and a 6.03 ERA in 91 innings pitched at Triple-A.

The Giants signed DeJong last month to a big-league deal shortly after he was released by the Toronto Blue Jays. DeJong was a longtime starter with the St. Louis Cardinals and cratered after he was traded to the Blue Jays at the deadline for a pitching prospect. The Giants were hopeful he could bounce back, but he hit just .184/.180/. 286 with 15 strikeouts in 50 plate appearances with the team.

The timing of Crawford's injury is inopportune for the SF Giants legend. It has undeniably been a disappointing season for the team's longtime shortstop, and it is expected to be his final MLB season. He does remain eligible to be activated on the final day of the regular season.