SAN FRANCISCO -- Shortly after earning his first big league callup on Monday, outfielder Bo Davidson laid out what he hoped to achieve in his first week with the Giants.
“Just showing them what I can do and giving them the best I can every game until the season's over,” Davidson said. “Just showing them who Bo is.”
And who is Bo?
“You'll see,” Davidson said before his Major League debut.
Davidson stayed true to his word in his first big league game in the Giants’ 5-2 win over the Twins on Monday night at Oracle Park.
San Francisco’s No. 8 prospect went 1-for-4 with a stolen base, becoming the first Giants player to swipe a bag, record a hit and score a run in his MLB debut since Johnny Vergez on April 14, 1931.
“It was pretty incredible,” Davidson said. “I felt like I was just playing the game. It just felt like another day at the office, though, for me.”
Fellow outfielder Drew Gilbert -- a Minnesota native -- also enjoyed a big night against his hometown team, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs out of the leadoff spot. The news wasn’t quite as encouraging on the pitching side, as the Giants saw rookie starter Blade Tidwell exit the game with right elbow discomfort in the fourth inning.
Davidson, who was called up from Triple-A Sacramento to replace the injured Jung Hoo Lee (groin contusion), made a fast impression when he stepped into the batter’s box to face Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews in the bottom of the first inning.
Davidson fell behind, 0-2, but he battled back to a full count and then lined the ninth pitch he saw -- a 91 mph cutter -- to right field to collect his first career hit, a 103.8 mph single. Davidson’s milestone hit drew a loud ovation from the 27,466 fans in attendance, which included his mom Donna, his brother Shakym, his girlfriend Tiera and his daughter Oaklynn.
“I’ve never been in a big stadium where you’ve got a third deck, so when they stood up and the crowd got into it -- I loved that,” Davidson said.
“I think Bo’s a guy that feeds off that,” manager Tony Vitello said. “The presence I thought he had in the box, and in the outfield tonight, was outstanding. It’s good that he got the first hit out of the way and had something to show for it. But I think he looked like he belonged physically and presence-wise.”
The 24-year-old Davidson subsequently stole second to put runners on second and third for Brett Harris, who bounced another single up the middle to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.
Gilbert knocked in the Giants’ final three runs of the night, delivering a two-run single in the second before adding a solo shot to right field in the fifth to pick up his 11th home run of the year.
Davidson and Gilbert are expected to be among the group of outfielders who will be vying for everyday roles with the Giants in 2027. Davidson was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2023, but he’s long possessed exciting tools and was described as the “JUCO Barry Bonds” after putting up monster numbers at Caldwell Community College in North Carolina.
"I've known Bo for a while, going back to the Fall League in 2024," Gilbert said. "To see where he was then, the all-around talent that he was, and see how he's started to put it together, it's pretty cool. He's a super confident kid, super talented and we're excited to have him."
The Giants are currently evaluating a long list of other outfield hopefuls, including Jonah Cox, Victor Bericoto, Turner Hill, Scott Bandura and Grant McCray, so it will be key for Davidson to keep building on his promising debut now that he’s in the big leagues.
“I think this offseason, with extenuating circumstances, how guys handle themselves and coach themselves and their work ethic is going to be an ultimate separator into the next pool,” Vitello said. “Guys who don’t do their stuff will get exposed. Or, if they’re good enough, they’ll be on the roster, but they won’t play as well as they’re capable of. I think there’s the first pool. The second pool will shrink. I think as long as [Davidson] does his work, he’s in that third pool, but so are a lot of other guys that are excitable.”