SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants promoted hot-hitting outfielder Turner Hill from Triple-A Sacramento ahead of Friday night’s series opener against the Rockies at Oracle Park.
Hill, 27, had been on a historic tear at Sacramento, where he extended his hitting streak to a franchise-record 26 games before earning his first big league callup with San Francisco.
“It's awesome,” Hill said. “I don't think it's completely sunk in. It feels surreal, but I'm super excited and ready to go.”
The Giants also recalled fellow outfielder Jonah Cox and optioned infielder Nate Furman and outfielder Grant McCray to Sacramento. Third baseman Matt Chapman, who underwent season-ending core muscle surgery earlier this week, was transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Hill.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio’s Marietta College in 2023, Hill has emerged as an offensive force in the Minors this season, batting .352 with a .956 OPS, nine home runs and 24 stolen bases in 97 games between Double-A Richmond and Sacramento.
“I think I made a lot of strides in just how hard I'm hitting the ball,” Hill said. “I think the work in the offseason for the bat speed and in the weight room, and then some approach changes as well. Just being more aggressive and allowing myself to get better swings off early in counts has allowed me to hit more extra-base hits this year.”
The left-handed-hitting Hill was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for July, when he slashed .422/.490/.611 over 23 games for the River Cats. He wasn’t in the Giants’ starting lineup against Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland on Friday, but manager Tony Vitello said he’s eager to see if Hill’s production can translate to the big leagues.
“I just think it’s fair to him to see what we get up here,” Vitello said. “That doesn’t mean there’s a lot of pressure on the outcome or the results of his at-bats, or how he plays on the field. Baserunning, obviously, he can be a weapon. But I think it’s a proper reward for what he’s been doing. There’s certainly a lot of curiosity out of everybody in the building for what he can do at this level. You saw some adjustability at the plate to hit a bunch of different types of pitches, especially off right-handed pitching.”
Cox, 25, debuted with the Giants after making the rare jump from Double-A on May 31. He batted .269 with a .769 OPS and one home run over 24 games before landing on the IL with a left oblique strain in early July, though he was optioned to Sacramento at the end of his rehab assignment on Aug. 4.
It didn’t take Cox long to hit his way back to the big leagues, though, as he batted .468 with one home run, seven RBIs and seven stolen bases over 11 games for the River Cats.
Cox has primarily played the outfield in pro ball, but he has some experience at second base and could be an option to fill in on the infield following the injuries to Chapman, Casey Schmitt (left knee surgery) and Willy Adames (back spasms).
Adames didn’t start against the Rockies on Friday after an MRI exam revealed a low back strain, which forced him to depart Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Astros in the eighth inning.
Adames has been trying to play through the back issue throughout the second half, but Vitello said the Giants are taking it day by day and aren’t considering an IL stint for the 30-year-old shortstop right now.
“That’s something he would fight, for sure,” Vitello said. “It’s not anything we’re going to press for as coaches. I don’t think we’re at a point in the season where we want to put him in a position that doesn’t set anyone up for success in the future, or benefits him. But if he’s healthy, he’s going to want to play. If he’s cleared by everybody, we’ll put him in a position to play. I think for now, it’s a little bit of day to day. A lot of it is just going to be communication between him and [the medical staff] on how it actually feels internally.”
Christian Koss started at shortstop in place of Adames, who is hitting .224 with a .697 OPS -- both career lows -- and 19 home runs over 119 games this year.