The Giants are apparently wasting no time with calling up reinforcements from their farm system.
Heliot Ramos, the sixth-ranked prospect in San Francisco’s system, is expected to be called up for Sunday’s series finale against the Miami Marlins. Ramos’ agency, Munger English Sports Management, tweeted on Saturday night that the 22-year-old outfielder is being promoted.
NBC Sports Bay Area beat reporter Alex Pavlovic soon after reported the Giants are calling up Ramos for Sunday’s contest.
Ramos was pulled from the Sacramento River Cats’ game Saturday afternoon in the fourth inning. In his first three games of the season with Sacramento, Ramos went 3-for-12 with a home run. In 54 games with the River Cats last year, Ramos hit .272 with four home runs.
A big-league debut was expected this season for Ramos, though a call-up in the first series of the season signals the Giants are serious about the idea of him contributing in a major way. New rule negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement limits players to five options in a season, so teams need to use them wisely.
Ramos had an excellent spring, going 5-for-10 with two doubles in camp. He arrived in Arizona noticeably trimmer, which could help the power-hitting slugger in the field.
The promotion of Ramos comes after the Giants lineup struggled against Pablo Lopez and Miami’s bullpen, mustering one run on five hits in a 2-1 loss. Left-hander Trevor Rogers is Miami’s projected starter for Sunday, raising a need for an extra right-handed hitter for the Giants’ lineup.
Any official roster announcement likely won’t come until Sunday.