SF Giants recall pitchers Luis Ortiz and Sean Hjelle, option RHP Jakob Junis

The SF Giants recalled right-handed pitchers Luis Ortiz and Sean Hjelle from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.

Marc Delucchi | Oct 2, 2022

SF Giants recall pitchers Luis Ortiz and Sean Hjelle, option RHP Jakob Junis /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants brought right-handed pitchers Luis Ortiz and Sean Hjelle back to the MLB roster on Sunday, just in time for the team's final home game of the season. The Giants had already created one spot on the roster by deciding to shut down Logan Webb. They also optioned right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis to Triple-A.

It seemed like Hjelle's 2022 season might be over on Saturday when the Giants optioned him to Triple-A. However, San Francisco clearly knew their intentions of eventually placing Webb on the injured list, which they knew would allow them to bring Hjelle back.

Unlike Hjelle, who has oscillated between Triple-A and the majors all season, Ortiz was only called up once earlier this season. Ortiz allowed just one run on three hits and two walks across 6.1 innings pitched during his big-league stint. At Triple-A this season, Ortiz recorded a 4.54 ERA with 72 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 67.1 innings pitched.

SF Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle throws a pitch. (2022) — Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Hjelle has looked impressive in September with the Giants, recording at least four innings pitched without allowing more than two runs in three of his four outings. With that said, he still has a 7.20 ERA in 20 MLB innings this season. In the minors this year, Hjelle had a 4.92 ERA in 97 innings pitched (22 starts) at Triple-A with 80 strikeouts and 38 walks.

Ortiz was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Sanger High School in California. Ortiz's career got off to a tremendous start, reaching Double-A before his 20th birthday. He was a consensus top-100 prospect in the minor leagues from 2016-2017. However, Ortiz struggled to get over the hump in the upper minors and has bounced between multiple organizations, only appearing in three MLB games prior to this season.

The decision to option Junis would suggest his season is over. Junis was San Francisco's latest reclamation project on the mound. He bounced back from three difficult seasons with the Royals with the best year of his career since 2018. Junis recorded a 4.42 ERA as the Giants swingman, completing 112 innings pitched, but ERA estimators were higher on his performance (4.12 xERA, 3.65 FIP, 3.65 xFIP).

SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler will no longer have Logan Webb or Jakob Junis this season, but welcomed Sean Hjelle and Luis Ortiz back to the team's bullpen for the final four games of the season.

Published Oct 2, 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).