Minor League roundup, May 27: Drew Cavanaugh has a day to remember

The Arizona Complex League was off on Wednesday, and the Dominican Summer League still hasn’t started, but the other four Minor League Baseball affiliates of the San Francisco Giants were all in action. So let’s get into it!

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

A few small bits of news. AA Richmond infielder Dayson Croes was activated off of the 7-Day Injured List, while High-A Eugene outfielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) was reassigned to the Arizona Complex League. Unclear what that move is about, as it’s certainly not a demotion, or Diaz would have been moved to Low-A San Jose (he’s also been playing quite well lately, and is hitting right at league average).

AAA Sacramento (31-20)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) 12-5
Box score

In yesterday’s roundup, I wrote about how catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) could definitely factor into the organization’s plans at some point, given that Patrick Bailey has been traded, and that neither Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) nor Daniel Susac (No. 20 CPL) was yet a proven entity. Often times when I write things (good or bad), prospects spend the following game making sure I look like I don’t know what I’m talking about (which, indeed, is the case).

But Drew is a sweet guy, so he did the opposite. The 2023 17th-round pick had one of the best games of his career on Wednesday, which is a pretty huge achievement given that his entire 2025 season (and the start of 2026) was built on good games followed by great games. But Wednesday was special: Cavanaugh came to the plate 5 times and reached base in all 5 at-bats. The total damage? 1 walk, 2 singles, 2 home runs, and 5 runs batted in.

What a day!

With that, Cavanaugh now has a 1.381 OPS and a 240 wRC+ through 11 games in AAA this year, after putting up similarly scintillating figures in AA before his early-year promotion. And for anyone wondering, the lefty has a whole lot of talent behind the dish, as well.

Since the Giants have 3 catchers in the Majors and a 4th on the 40-man roster, they can afford to let Cavanaugh take his time annihilating Pacific Coast League pitchers, and working his way through any bumps or walls that pop up in the coming days, weeks, and months. But my goodness, he sure went from organizational filler to a great story to an inevitable Major Leaguer in shockingly short time period. What a story!

One thing to note: the Giants, somewhat surprisingly in my eye, did not give Cavanaugh an invite to spring training this year, so he’s not as familiar with the pitching staff as Rodríguez, Susac, Eric Haase, and Logan Porter are. That will probably be a factor to consider if he starts knocking on the door of the Majors, though that’s putting the cart ahead of the horse.

Another recent promotee had a great game as well, as right fielder Turner Hill went 3-5 and finished a triple shy of the cycle.

The home run was certainly surprising to see, as it was not only his 1st of the year, but just his 6th career dinger in nearly 1,300 Minor League plate appearances. But then again, Reno gonna Reno…

Hill continues to make a case that he can play a Jared Oliva role at some point. The recently-turned 27-year old, who was an undrafted free agent in 2023, began the year in AA (though that was probably just a logistics thing, given his prior success at the level), and moved up to AAA when the Giants sent a wave of River Cats to the Majors, and had a hole in the outfield. It’s probably safe to say that Hill isn’t going back: in 28 games with Sacramento, he has a .848 OPS, a 131 wRC+, 7 stolen bases in 8 attempts, and excellent defense across all 3 outfield positions. He’s turned into a quality depth piece to have around.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well for another recently-promoted player, as left fielder Scott Bandura struck out in all 5 of his plate appearances. A day to forget … or to learn from.

Center fielder Grant McCray had a nice day, hitting 2-4 with a triple, a walk, and a strikeout. McCray has really seen his status take a hit this year: he openly campaigned for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but lost that battle to Oliva, who wasn’t even on the 40-man roster. Since then, he’s watched as Drew Gilbert got promoted, Will Brennan got promoted twice, Victor Bericoto got rostered and promoted, and Rodríguez and Casey Schmitt got reps in the outfield in the Majors. But the 2019 3rd-round pick is fighting to get back there … while his overall numbers are modest (.752 OPS, 104 wRC+), he has a 7-game hit streak currently, during which time he’s 11-23 with 1 triple, 4 doubles, 6 walks, and just 4 strikeouts.

It was a funny pitching game, as the starting pitching was bad and the bullpen was excellent. That starter was RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 9 CPL), who had a bit of a funny game.

Tidwell showed good command, as he threw 54 of 82 pitches for strikes and didn’t walk a single batter. But living over the plate had its consequences, as he got knocked for 10 hits in just 4 innings, which resulted in 5 runs. Tidwell wasn’t entirely hittable, though, as he did strike out 6 batters … but even in Reno, giving up 10 hits while facing just 22 batters is mighty ugly, and it raised the 2022 2nd-rounder’s ERA to 6.75, while moving his FIP to 5.21. Even with the struggles, though, we’re seeing Tidwell’s electricity: his 12.2 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks 9th out of the 87 PCL pitchers with at least 20 innings thrown this year.

As for the bullpen, 4 arms combined to throw 5 shutout innings. It began with a perfect 5th inning from rehabbing RHP Jason Foley, who has yet to allow a run in 5 rehab appearances with Sacramento (he did give up some runs in his 1st rehab appearance, though, which came with Low-A San Jose). He should be in the Majors soon, and that will be exciting.

RHP Dylan Smith tossed a pair of shutout frames, while RHPs Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) and Marques Johnson handled an inning apiece. Johnson struck out 2 batters in a perfect inning, and now has a 4.05 ERA and a 4.46 FIP. His strikeout and walk numbers have both taken a big hit this year, unfortunately. But that’s to be expected when adjusting to a new level.

AA Richmond (32-14)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 3-0
Box score

Revenge is a dish best served by a tugboat. Or something like that.

Wednesday was a special for one of the newest prospects in the system, LHP Matt Wilkinson. The hefty lefty, who came over in the Patrick Bailey trade, was not only making his 3rd start with his new organization, but making his 1st start against his old team. The 23-year old was dominant in 6 starts with the RubberDucks prior to the trade … but not nearly as dominant as he was facing off against them.

Wilkinson gave up a single to the 1st batter he faced … and then faced 21 more batters, without allowing a single hit. Not a damn one! In all, Tugboat tossed 7 shutout innings while giving up just 1 hit and 1 walk, and needing just 75 pitches. A thoroughly impressive and dominant performance.

The 2023 10th-round pick wasn’t overwhelming anyone, as he only recorded 3 strikeouts on the day, but it was a game full of soft contact and easy outs, and it lowered his ERA to 1.87 on the year, with a 2.92 FIP. Right now, it seems that Wilkinson and his new teammate, LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) are battling it out for the title of best pitcher in the Eastern League on any given day. There are 45 pitchers in the league with at least 30 innings thrown this year, and Wilkinson is 2nd in ERA, 2nd in FIP, 16th in strikeouts per 9 innings (10.2), 11th in walks per 9 (2.7), and 2nd in batting average against (.153). What an awesome dude.

The rest of the pitching was handled by RHP Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL), who tossed 2 no-hit innings with 2 walks and 1 strikeout. Bednar has had a little bit of a disappointing year — which has featured time on the Development List and demotion from AAA to AA — but he does have a nice 3.10 ERA and 3.91 FIP across the 2 levels. His strikeouts are down a bit year-over-year despite not really addressing his walk issue.

A quiet day on offense. Shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) had a great game though, hitting 2-2 with a double, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt. The 2023 4th-round pick has been slumping a bit in May, after a solid April, and has a .712 OPS and 88 wRC+ on the season. Nice to see him have a game with not just some damage, but no strikeouts.

As for the top prospects, center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) hit 1-4 with 2 strikeouts and a stolen base, left fielder Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit 1-4 with a double and a strikeout, and right fielder Jonah Cox went 1-5 with a triple. Dayson Croes made his return after missing about 6 weeks with an injury (and a subsequent rehab assignment in the ACL), and went 1-5 while playing third base.

High-A Eugene (35-12)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 10-7
Box score

A quiet game for Eugene’s stars, but some other intriguing prospects had standout days. The highest-ranked trio sat atop the order and didn’t do much: right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) led off and went 0-5 with a strikeout, and was followed by center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), who hit 1-5, and was followed by shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) who had an 0-5.

But immediately after that, the fun started to happen, as the final 6 hitters combined to reach base 15 times. It started with the cleanup hitter, first baseman Zander Darby, who went 1-3, drew 2 walks, and smashed a solo home run.

Darby has positively exploded this year. The 23-year old lefty, who was taken in the 12th round of the 2024 draft, had a strong year in Low-A San Jose last season, but really struggled upon a late-season promotion to Eugene, as he posted just a .123 average, a .489 OPS, a 45 wRC+, and a 42.0% strikeout rate in 21 games with the Emeralds. He certainly made the adjustments, though, as this year he’s up to a .324 average, a .954 OPS, a 158 wRC+, and a 27.8% strikeout rate, and, through 40 games, has matched the home run total that he posted last year across the 2 levels, in 79 games. It’s always great seeing players take off like that!

But the best day belonged to left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL), who is starting to find his footing following a breakout 2025. The 21-year old lefty from Mexico, who looks much more athletic and strong this year, went 3-4 with a grand slam, a double, and a stolen base, and it’s safe to say that’s a game to remember.

Gutierrez is one of the best contact hitters in the system, though it’s taken a while for that to play out this year. He’s kept his strikeout rate low (it’s at 16.8% for the year, and has been around that mark all season), but the average is only just starting to come up, and has climbed to .259 (still nearly .100 points below what it was a year ago). But what he’s lost in average, he’s made up for in power. He entered the year with 3 career home runs in 85 games across the DSL, ACL, and Low-A. And on Wednesday, in his 37th game in High-A? He surpassed that mark with his 4th home run of the season. It’s always exciting when a high-contact, low-power player starts to add power without it sapping his contact though, as the average and swinging strike rate point to, there is some work to do before his contact is fully back on track. Still, it’s an .810 OPS, a 124 wRC+, strong outfield defense, and 12 stolen bases without getting caught for Gutierrez who, in my eyes, has done nothing to lose his spot in the top 20.

Rounding out the dinger party was a fellow small player who has been bulking up a little, second baseman Jean Carlos Sio (No. 44 CPL). Sio, who missed the start of the year with an injury and then had a rehab assignment, went 2-4 with a 3-run shot, and the just-turned 22-year old already has 4 homers in just 12 games with Eugene this season.

Sio, who was signed in 2023 out of Cuba, had quite a breakout year last season, which featured an .808 OPS and a 130 wRC+, with just an 18.0% strikeout rate in 28 games with the Emeralds following a late-season promotion. Given that prior success, the Giants probably don’t need to see him maintain his current performance — he has a 1.117 OPS and a 197 wRC+ — for very much longer before they see how he fares in AA.

An uninteresting pitching day. Starting RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) went 5 innings, but wasn’t fooling anyone. He allowed 7 hits during that time (which included a home run and a double), while also walking 3 and striking out just 4, en route to 5 earned runs on his ledger.

It’s been a so-so year for the 22-year old Marte, who came to the Giants in the Mike Yastrzemski trade last season. He has a 3.74 ERA, a 4.07 FIP, 8.5 strikeouts per 9, and 4.0 walks. A very middle-of-the-pack season thus far, though there’s a lot of potential in that arm.

Following him was RHP Hunter Dryden, who ceded a home run, 2 doubles, and 4 walks in just 2.2 innings, tagging him for 2 runs. Dryden, who struck out 4, has had an odd season, and the 2024 17th-rounder is sitting on a 3.58 ERA and a 4.26 FIP. Year-over-year, his strikeouts are up a bit from his debut season in San Jose (10.0 to 11.0 per 9 innings), and his ground ball rate has spiked (39.9% to 49.4%). But he’s also seen spikes in his walks (4.0 to 5.2 per 9) and home runs (0.3 to 0.8 per 9).

But the pitching ended well, with RHP Ryan Vanderhei retiring all 4 batters he faced, with a strikeout. The 2023 10th-round pick has had an awesome season, with 30 strikeouts against 8 walks in 25 innings, to go with a 1.80 ERA and a 3.00 FIP. In his last 8 games, Vanderhei has thrown 12.1 innings and allowed just 5 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, with 15 strikeouts.

Low-A San Jose (25-22)

San Jose Giants lost to the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) 3-2
Box score

Down in the California League, LHP Jordan Gottesman put forth one of the best pitching performances in the system this year. Last year’s 6th-round pick was utterly sensational against Fresno, tossing 5 shutout innings with just a single and a walk allowed, while striking out 7 batters.

That represented a nice bounce-back for the 23-year old from Northeastern, as he had allowed 4 runs in his last start … which had come after back-to-back scoreless 5-inning starts. It takes a while to erase a 4-run start from an ERA, but still … not allowing a run in 3 out of 4 starts in a month is a very impressive thing!

The only thing looming over Gottesman right now is home runs, as he’s allowed 5 of them in 39 innings. That’s given him a 5.37 FIP despite a lovely 2.77 ERA, a pretty nice strikeout to walk ratio (41 to 13), and just 29 total hits allowed in those 39 innings.

A very mild-mannered game on offense, with just 5 hits and 1 walk secured. Right fielder Broedy Poppell had the biggest hit, as he went 1-3 with a solo home run. Last year’s 13th-round pick has really been struggling in his debut season, particularly with contact, as he has just a .232 average and a 28.8% strikeout rate, leading to a .691 OPS and a 78 wRC+. But he’s been a bit better in May than he was in April, particularly on the power front (he has 5 extra-base hits in 44 at-bats this month, after just 1 in 51 last month). Hopefully those improvements continue for the switch-hitter.

Also a nice day for center fielder Andy Polanco, who hit 1-3 with a double, a stolen base, and a strikeout. The just-turned 21-year old, who was taken in the 11th-round in 2024, has struggled on offense in his 2nd ACL season, as he has a .675 OPS, a 71 wRC+, and a 31.7% strikeout rate. But his defense continues to impress, and he’s up to 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts on the year. Through his 2-year career, Polanco has swiped 40 bags in just 82 games.

Home run tracker

7 — Drew Cavanaugh x2 — [4 in AAA; 3 in AA]
6 — Zander Darby — [High-A]
5 — Jean Carlos Sio — [4 in High-A; 1 in ACL]
4 — Carlos Gutierrez — [High-A]
3 — Broedy Poppell — [Low-A]
1 — Turner Hill — [AAA]

Thursday schedule

Sacramento: 6:05 p.m. PT at Reno (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 3:35 p.m. PT at Akron (SP: Cesar Perdomo)
Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Jacob Bresnahan)
San Jose: 6:50 p.m. PT at Fresno (SP: TBD)

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