Weekend Minor League roundup, April 24-26: Jacob Bresnahan returns, Yunior Marte dominates

AAA Sacramento (14-11)

Friday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 4-3 [box score]
Saturday Game 1: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes 5-3 (7 innings) [box score]
Saturday Game 2: Sacramento River Cats beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 9-2 (7 innings) [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes 8-6 [box score]

It feels like Sacramento has really settled into being a standard AAA team, which is to say everyone is playing well enough to feel like quality insurance options should the team need them, but nobody is really making a name for themself as a player to watch as they push for a roster spot.

First baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) is, of course, always a player to watch, and he salvaged a good-not-great showing with his final plate appearance of the 4-game weekend, when he bopped a 2-run home run in the 9th inning on Sunday.

For the weekend, Eldridge hit 5-13 with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts, which raised his OPS to .874 and his wRC+ to 136. Crucially, he entered the off day and the next series with some much-needed momentum, as all his hits came in the final 2 games … after being held hitless on Friday and Saturday’s opener, Eldridge was mired in a 6-game slump where he’d hit just 1-21 … so seeing him go 5-9 to end the weekend was a very welcome sight. As was having just 2 strikeouts in 16 plate appearances over the weekend, which lowered his K rate to 29.5%. Getting closer to moving out of red flag territory on that front.

The other hitter in Sacramento who isn’t far from getting the call to the bigs is catcher/left fielder Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL), and he had another fine weekend, hitting 5-11 with a double, 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, 2 strikeouts, and an error. Rodríguez is up to an .878 OPS and a 136 wRC+, but it’s the way that he’s doing it that surely is exciting the Giants. While he hasn’t been displaying a lot of power (he has 2 homers and 6 total extra-base hits in 93 plate appearances), he’s simply been the contact maven that he was advertised as, posting a .346 batting average and a 9.7% strikeout rate, numbers that rank 6th and 5th, respectively, out of 81 qualified hitters in the Pacific Coast League.

How to find time for Rodríguez in the Majors is certainly a puzzle. If Daniel Susac’s injury lingers, the Giants could have Rodríguez replace Eric Haase, but he won’t be usurping Susac anytime soon. The Giants have been playing him at both second base and left field lately, but Luis Arráez is doing exactly what San Francisco has asked, while Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee have been two of the team’s hottest hitters lately (behind only Casey Schmitt, who is blocking both Rodríguez and Eldridge’s opportunity at DH). So it will probably take an injury for Rodríguez, who turned 24 on Thursday, to make his debut.

Injuries are definitely what it will take for center fielder/right fielder Grant McCray to get back to the Majors anytime soon, as he was already passed over in favor of Jared Oliva on the Opening Day roster, and then Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan when the team had injuries. His season has been quite a struggle, but he did make some noise on Friday when he smashed his 1st home run of the season.

Over the course of the weekend, the lefty hit 2-10 with 4 strikeouts and committed an error. It’s really been a dismal season at the plate for the 2019 3rd-rounder, who has a .636 OPS and an 84 wRC+. But even those numbers make things look rosier than they are, as his success has largely been propped up by an absurd 19.6% walk rate. Simply put, McCray isn’t doing any damage when swinging, Friday’s big fly notwithstanding … of the PCL’s 81 qualified hitters, McCray’s .194 batting average is 75th, while his .083 isolated slugging is 67th. He has cut back on the strikeouts, though, lowering his rate from 27.1% last year to 23.9% this year, and crucially dropping his swinging strike rate from 14.0% to 9.1%. It seems he’s being a bit too passive at the plate.

Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) also went deep, as part of a weekend where he hit 4-16 with a solo blast, a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, a strikeout, and an error.

Furman’s debut pass through AAA has been a smashing success, as he has a .905 OPS and a 150 wRC+, with just a 12.8% strikeout rate. Given his relative inexperience (he has just 44 games at AA and AAA combined) and the fact that he’s not on the 40-man roster, Furman is likely a bit behind Rodríguez should the Giants need a second baseman, but it wouldn’t be tremendously surprising if he’s given a chance to win the job next year, as Arráez is only on a 1-year deal.

Third baseman Buddy Kennedy and shortstop/third baseman/left fielder Thomas Gavello also went deep. Kennedy hit 2-10 with a 3-run blast, a double, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts, moving his OPS to .907 and his wRC+ to 144; Gavello went 1-10 with a solo bomb, a walk, and 4 strikeouts, and now has a .620 OPS and a 54 wRC+.

On the pitching front, Friday saw a much-needed excellent start from RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL), who had his best outing in a very long time. The versatile righty was dynamic through 5 shutout innings, offering up just 2 hits (both singles) and 2 walks, while striking out 3 batters and living off of soft contact. It wasn’t the best strike-throwing display for McDonald, who threw 70 pitches with 43 strikes, but he kept hitters off balance all day.

McDonald had a brilliant start to Spring Training and looked close to locking down an Opening Day roster spot before completely falling apart. His last few outings of the Cactus League were disasters, and he opened the AAA season with 4 consecutive rough outings. Hopefully his 5th is the start of the course correcting, because neither RHP Carson Seymour nor LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) has stamped their name on the 6th starter role. Let’s see if McDonald, who now has a 5.40 ERA and a 5.61 FIP on the year, can start to make a run for it.

Saturday’s pair of starters were not nearly as good as McDonald, but they managed to be nearly as effective. LHP Seth Lonsway took the mound for the opener and struggled with command, walking 4 batters in 5 innings and hitting another, while throwing 42 of 76 pitches for strikes. But Lonsway only allowed 3 hits and just 1 run, while striking out 3. The 27-year old 6th-round pick from the 2021 draft has 4.50 ERA and a 5.87 FIP on the year … he’s only allowed 16 hits in 16 innings, which is impressive in the PCL, but he also only has 5 strikeouts.

In Game 2 it was fellow funky LHP John Michael Bertrand, who had a very funny line. Bertrand went 6 innings and gave up 9 hits, but all 9 of those hits were singles. He also walked 2 batters, yet the only run he allowed was unearned, due to a Rodríguez error. Not every day you give up 11 baserunners and 0 earned runs! Bertrand, who struck out 5, has a 4.57 ERA and a 6.35 FIP on the season. Both he and Lonsway are being used as starters in Sacramento, but it feels likely that if they make the Majors it will be as multi-inning relievers.

Not a very good weekend for the relievers on the 40-man roster. LHP Sam Hentges and RHP Joel Peguero (No. 27 CPL) continued their rehab assignments, with mixed results. Hentges gave up 2 earned runs while recording just 2 outs on Friday, but bounced back with a 6-pitch perfect inning on Sunday. Peguero gave up just 1 baserunner in his lone inning of work, but that baserunner was a solo home run.

RHP Spencer Bivens had another tough outing, giving up 3 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) in an inning of work, with a strikeout, raising his ERA to 5.40 and his FIP to 6.36. RHP Tristan Beck allowed 3 hits, 1 walk, 4 runs, and 2 earned runs in just 1.1 innings, with 1 strikeout, and now has a 3.48 ERA and a 3.03 FIP. RHP Dylan Smith struck out 2 batters with 1 walk in a scoreless inning on Friday, but ceded 3 hits, 2 walks, and 3 earned runs in 1.1 innings on Sunday, with 1 strikeout, raising his ERA to 3.24 and his FIP to 3.81.

The non-rostered depth options weren’t great, either, as neither RHP Gregory Santos nor LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 41 CPL) were at their sharpest. RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) however, was, as he retired all 5 batters he faced, with 3 strikeouts.

AA Richmond (17-3)

Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Somerset Patriots 7-6 [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Somerset Patriots 9-1 (7 innings) [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Somerset Patriots 4-3 (10 innings) [box score]

Richmond’s magical season just keeps on going. The Squirrels ran their winning streak to 4 games, and pushed their record to 17-3, and they did it with their usual theatrics: twice they entered the 9th inning with fewer runs than their opponents, only to successfully mount a comeback.

Friday’s walk-off was particularly heroic, as the Squirrels were down to their final strike, and still trailing, and didn’t even have the tying run on base. But third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), playing in his 1st game of the season after returning from a hamstring injury, and 0-4 with 3 strikeouts on the day, kept the game alive with a double on a 2-2 pitch. Richmond then pinch-hit with catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL), who fell behind in the count 0-2, then fouled off a pitch, then blasted a 2-run home run to end the game. What excitement!

Cavanaugh didn’t play on Saturday, but followed up the heroics on Sunday by hitting 1-3 with a walk and a stolen base as his magnificent season continues, following his 2025 breakout. Cavanaugh isn’t playing full time, as he’s splitting catching duties with Adrián Sugastey, but in 53 plate appearances is posting a blistering 1.137 OPS with a 196 wRC+. Perhaps most impressively, after posting a 27.4% strikeout rate across all 4 A-ball affiliates last year, Cavanaugh has dropped that number to 19.7% this season.

As for Harber, he wasn’t done with the theatrics, as he played the hero in Sunday’s walk-off, when he singled home the winning run in the 10th inning.

Harber’s numbers weren’t great over the weekend, as he hit 5-14 with 7 strikeouts, but that’s to be expected from someone making both his season and AA debut, against pitchers who are fully up to speed. It’s just great seeing him back on the field and making an impact.

Also playing a heroic role was shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 23 CPL), who was responsible for sending Sunday’s game to extra innings. Richmond trailed by a run in the 9th inning, with 2 outs and the bases empty. But Ahuna rapped a double, stole 3rd, and scored on a wild pitch, sending the game to the 10th where Harber would walk it off. Ahuna hit 3-8 with a double, 2 stolen bases, and 1 strikeout over the weekend, and now has an .826 OPS and a 116 wRC+ in his debut AA season. There’s still a ton of swing and miss in his game (30.3% K rate, 18.1% swinging strike rate), but it’s been a very successful season for him.

Speaking of successful seasons, Richmond’s corner outfielders, Jonah Cox and Scott Bandura, continued their excellent seasons. Cox hit 4-10 with a home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts, which saw his OPS climb to 1.167 and his wRC+ to 205, to make no mention of the organization-leading 12 stolen bases in just 18 games. It’s been a stunning start to the year for the A’s 6th-round pick in 2023, after he was decidedly average offensively in High-A a year ago. The numbers will surely regress, but still … we’re seeing a lot of encouraging signs with the bat for someone whose calling cards are his glove and his cleats.

As for Bandura, he went just 1-9 with 5 strikeouts on the weekend, but smashed a 2-run home run, drew 5 walks, and stole a base. He now has a .971 OPS and a 152 wRC+ on the season and, after posting a 30.6% strikeout rate during his 45-game stint with Richmond last year, is all the way down to 17.5% this season. We’re seeing some really big improvements in contact on the farm.

Bandura and Cox have starred this year, but get a little overlooked by the star prospect they flank, center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL). Davidson returned to the lineup after missing a few games with a forearm issue, but he really struggled, hitting just 1-8 with a sacrifice fly and 5 strikeouts. Between the injury and parental leave, Davidson hasn’t been able to really get into a rhythm yet this year, and has just a .688 OPS and a 69 wRC+.

There were a pair of dynamic pitching performances from under-the-radar prospects. On Saturday it was RHP Darien Smith, who started the game and tossed 6 brilliant innings, allowing just 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run on a solo home run. Smith, who needed just 72 pitches to get through his 6 innings (though just 45 of them were strikes), also struck out 5 Somerset hitters.

The 26-year old undrafted free agent, who is in his 2nd season, has made 4 starts this year and has allowed 0 or 1 run in each of them, and has just a 1.35 ERA and a 3.86 FIP. He doesn’t have the most dynamic stuff — he averaged 8.7 strikeouts per 9 innings between Low-A and High-A last year, and is at 8.6 this season — but he simply doesn’t allow many batters to reach base. In 20 innings this year, Smith has ceded just 10 hits and issued 5 walks.

But the biggest pitching performance came from Sunday’s piggybacking starter, LHP Cesar Perdomo. The 24-year old took over to start the 5th inning, and pitched all the way through the 10th. He gave up just 1 hit (a single) in his 6 innings, while walking 2 and striking out 4. Most importantly, Perdomo didn’t allow any runs to cross the plate … not even the Manfred Man in extra innings. Perdomo has been excellent in 3 of his 4 outings this year, resulting in a 2.16 ERA and a 3.53 FIP … numbers that are better than his High-A stats were last year. Like Smith, Perdomo doesn’t strike out a lot of batters (he has just 8.1 Ks per 9 innings this season), but he just doesn’t allow a lot of damage. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he finds his way to AAA late in the season.

High-A Eugene (16-5)

Friday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 9-4 [box score]
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 5-2 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 3-1 [box score]

Just as the big news in Richmond was the return of Parks Harber, the big news in Eugene was the return of LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL). Bresnahan, who was the 4th pitcher listed on our community prospect list, but is the top pitcher on a lot of national Giants prospect lists, started the season in extended spring training due to a minor injury. But on Sunday he made his season debut, and his High-A debut.

It wasn’t great from a statistical standpoint, but it certainly wasn’t awful, either. The soon-to-turn 21-year old, who was taken in the 13th round in 2023 by the Guardians and traded to the Giants in the Alex Cobb deal, went 3.2 innings in his season debut, and gave up just 2 hits (both singles) and 2 walks, but got tagged for 2 runs. Not surprisingly given the rust, he struggled with the strike zone, throwing just 32 of 56 pitches for strikes.

But it was a very encouraging outing for the reigning Cal League Pitcher of the Year, who struck out 4 batters. Bresnahan retired the 1st 10 batters that he faced, before allowing all of his baserunners in a 4th inning that he wouldn’t make it out of (he also left with just 1 run in, but the bases loaded and 2 outs, before RHP Ryan Vanderhei hit a batter to let a run score).

All things considered, a very nice start to the year for Bresnahan, and it will be fun watching him settle into this level.

Speaking of settling in, LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) is still searching for a way to do exactly that. He had a nearly identical outing to Bresnahan on Saturday, at least on paper: 3.2 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, 5 strikeouts, with 47 of 78 pitches for strikes. Just like Bresnahan, De La Torre was on fire to open up the game, cruising through 3 scoreless innings and retiring the 1st 8 batters that he faced. Trouble struck in the 4th, though, when he issued both of his walks and then a 2-run double, which ended his night. Still, a big step in the right direction for LDLT, who has just a 7.50 ERA and a 5.86 FIP this young season.

RHP Hunter Dryden had his worst outing of the year on Friday, though it was still solid (and similar to Bresnahan and De La Torre’s): 4.1 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 earned runs, and 4 strikeouts. Dryden entered the year having allowed just 1 run in 3 starts, so this was definitely not a good game when judged against the high bar he set, but the 2024 17th-round pick has a delightful 1.88 ERA on the year (though just a 4.27 FIP). Dryden is walking a ton of batters, but hitters are generally useless against him when they do swing: in 14.1 innings this year, the soon-to-turn 24-year old has struck out 18, while allowing just 5 hits.

Eugene only played 3 games this weekend, but they used 4 starters, as RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) was the piggybacking starter on Saturday. And he shined the brightest of the 4, tossing 5 shutout innings while allowing just 1 hit and 2 walks, and striking out 6 batters. Marte threw 41 of 65 pitches for strikes as he mowed down the Hops batters, and lowered his ERA to 1.89 and his FIP to 3.41. The strikeout and walk numbers aren’t gaudy — 17 and 8, respectively, in 19 innings — but, like Dryden, he’s just not allowing any damage when people swing (he’s given up just 8 hits and 0 home runs).

On offense, the biggest day belonged to left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL), who hit 2-5 with a pair of home runs on Friday, knocking in 3 runs. What a gorgeous swing he has.

Diaz — who sat on Saturday, and went 1-4 with a strikeout and a caught stealing on Sunday, isn’t having a great year — he has just a .675 OPS and a 77 wRC+, and is still in search of his 1st walk. But there are some nice signs, certainly: despite not being the biggest player, and just being 20, he’s shown off some good power this year, with a .236 isolated slugging rate that ranks 6th out of 57 Northwest League hitters (minimum: 50 plate appearances). He’s also struck out just 10.0% of the time this year, a fabulous mark even for a player who has always limited strikeouts. If he can get his batting average up — it’s just .218 — he could end up having a nice year.

Center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) also went deep (breaking a tie in the 9th inning!) for the Emeralds during a so-so weekend in which he hit 2-10 with a solo blast, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, an outfield assist, and a caught stealing. The 2024 4th-round pick has been Eugen’s best performer this year, as he has a .940 OPS and a 158 wRC+, but the 30.0% strikeout rate and 16.1% swinging strike rate paint a picture of a power hitter who still has a lot to work on.

Speaking of players with a lot to work on, it was a tough weekend for third baseman Walker Martin, who hit just 2-12 with 6 strikeouts, while committing 3 errors. The team’s 2nd-round pick in 2023 has shown a power improvement this year, and has a .794 OPS and a 125 wRC+, but his 28.6% strikeout rate and 9 errors in 16 games is fairly concerning.

Shout out to catcher/first baseman Ty Hanchey who had a nice end to the series, hitting 3-11 with a home run, a double, and 3 strikeouts, raising his OPS to .784 and wRC+ to 112. Hanchey is a little bit more organizational depth than prospect — he’s a 26-year old UDFA in his 4th pro season (though he missed all of last year due to injury) — but catchers always have a chance to prove themselves, and Hanchey should get a little more run now with Diego Cartaya released.

Low-A San Jose (14-7)

Friday: San Jose Giants lost to the Ontario Tower Buzzers 7-3 [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants lost to the Ontario Tower Buzzers 7-4 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants lost to the Ontario Tower Buzzers 18-9 [box score]

It’s been a great season for the Baby Giants, but it certainly wasn’t a great weekend, as they lost all 3 games. Their starters got absolutely rocked, and the offense was more good than great, and was held without a single home run.

Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) has cooled down following his utterly absurd start to the season, but he’s still hitting quite well, and the weekend was an example of his no-longer-Barry-Bonds-but-still-damn-good current state. The just-turned 19-year old switch hitter went 5-12 over the weekend with a triple, a walk, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, 3 strikeouts, and 2 caught stealings. It’s now a 1.066 OPS and a 163 wRC+ for Level, who has probably been the MVP of the farm system so far this season, and certainly looks like he’ll have vacated his post in San Jose by the time Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) and/or Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) are ready to inherit it.

First baseman Hayden Jatczak also continued his obliteration of the Cal League, with a pair of games that were excellent in very different ways. After sitting on Friday, Jatczak had 5 plate appearances on Saturday … and 0 official at bats, as he drew 4 walks and hit a sacrifice fly. He followed that up by emphatically putting the ball in play on Sunday, hitting 3-5 with a double and a strikeout. Jatczak has a 1.013 OPS and a 163 wRC+ in this, his debut season, with an elite walk rate (23.6%) and a very good strikeout rate (18.0%). I’m curious how long he’ll stay in San Jose, and when the Giants will start trying to see what is a more appropriate level for the 24-year old UDFA.

Isaiah Barkett showed off a little bit of everything over the weekend, starting with his defensive versatility: he played Friday at second base, Saturday in right field, and Sunday at third. He hit 3-9 over the trio of games with 2 doubles, 3 walks, a sacrifice bunt, and a strikeout. Last year’s 10th-round pick is quietly having an awesome debut season, as the 22-year old righty is sporting a .999 OPS and a 157 wRC+, with a brilliant 11.1% strikeout rate.

The pitching was mostly bad, as evidenced by the 32 runs that San Jose allowed in 3 games. But there were a few standout performances nonetheless. The biggest such day belonged to RHP Ubert Mejias, who had a sensational showing on Saturday. Mejias entered with 2 outs and a runner on 2nd base in the 2nd inning, and proceeded to retire 14 consecutive batters. 14! That streak finally ended when he gave up a solo home run, before getting 2 more outs and calling it a day.

In all, it was 5.1 brilliant innings for Mejias, with that home run being the only baserunner he allowed, all while striking out 9 hitters. Talk about dominant! Home runs have been the only issue for the 25-year old Cuban this year … in 15.1 innings across 5 outings, he’s struck out 19 batters, while giving up just 9 hits and 4 walks. But 3 of the 9 hits he’s allowed have cleared the fence, which has resulted in a 2.93 ERA and a 5.81 FIP. This is Mejias’ 3rd pass through San Jose — he was in the rotation in 2024, before switching to long relief a year ago — so it’s probably a make-or-break season for him.

RHP Mauricio Estrella had a nice game on Friday, allowing just a single in 3 shutout innings, while striking out 3. The just-turned 22-year old is also at the level for the 3rd time, though he pitched there very sparingly in 2024 and 2025, amassing just 26.1 total innings. He’s been awesome so far this year, with a 2.45 ERA, a 2.04 FIP, and, most impressively, 15 strikeouts and 0 walks in 11 innings. What a beautiful thing!

Friday and Sunday’s starters — RHPs Braydon Risley and Cody Delvecchio, respectively — had so-so outings but showed off their strikeout stuff. Risley, July’s 19th-round pick, struck out 7 batters in 4 innings, while giving up 3 hits (including 2 doubles), 1 walk, and 1 hit batter, with 2 earned runs. The just-turned 21-year old community college draftee has a 3.38 ERA and a 4.84 FIP through 4 games, with a delightful 20 strikeouts against 4 walks in 13.1 innings. Delvecchio, a 12th-round pick a year ago, K’d 6 batters in just 3.1 innings, but also allowed 6 hits (including a home run), 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. The UCLA products numbers are similar to Risley’s: a 3.60 ERA, a 4.96 FIP, and 19 strikeouts against 4 walks in 15 innings.

But pour one out for the ERAs of RHP Melvin Pineda (5 baserunners and 4 earned runs in 0.2 innings, raising his ERA to 8.59), LHP Ricardo Estrada (7 baserunners and 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings, raising his ERA to 11.70), RHP Alix Hernandez (6 baserunners and 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings, though his ERA is a still-delightful 2.70), RHP Jose T. Perez (6 baserunners and 5 earned runs in 1 inning, raising his ERA to 10.80), RHP Fernando Vasquez (7 baserunners and 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings, raising his ERA to 11.74), and RHP Melvin Pineda (7 baserunners and 7 earned runs in 1 inning, raising his ERA to 15.12). Here’s to bounce-back games for all of them!

Home run tracker

4 — Dakota Jordan — [High-A]
4 — Lisbel Diaz x2 — [High-A]
3 — Bryce Eldridge — [AAA]
3 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA]
3 — Jonah Cox — [AA]
2 — Nate Furman — [AAA]
2 — Drew Cavanaugh — [AA]
2 — Scott Bandura — [AA]
2 — Ty Hanchey — [High-A]
1 — Grant McCray — [AAA]
1 — Buddy Kennedy — [AAA]