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Giants Call Up Rapidly Emerging Pitching Prospect From Patrick Bailey Trade
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- Giants Call Up Rapidly Emerging Pitching Prospect From Patrick Bailey Trade
When the San Francisco Giants traded catcher Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians back in May, they acquired left-handed pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson in return (alongside a Competitive Balance Round A pick in the 2026 MLB Draft).
At the time of the trade, Wilkinson – nicknamed "Tugboat" – was in Double-A. Just over three months later, the Giants have given the southpaw the call to The Show.
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Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Monday that San Francisco is calling up Wilkinson to the major leagues. While the Giants haven't announced the move yet, they will free up a spot on the 40-man roster before formally adding Wilkinson.
Wilkinson, 23, had a 1.59 ERA with the Akron Rubberducks at the time of the trade and continued to excel with the Giants' Double-A affiliate, the Richmond Flying Squirrels. After allowing just six hits and striking out 13 batters over three starts, the Giants were impressed enough to promote him to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.
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Despite having a 5.15 ERA in 43.2 innings at that level, Wilkinson pitched well outside of two starts where he allowed six runs each. In his other eight starts, the six-foot-one, 250-pound lefty has a 3.43 ERA. Wilkinson's season totals across Double-A and Triple-A are impressive, accumulating 96 strikeouts with a 1.00 WHIP and .185 opposing batting average in 90.0 innings pitched.
Wilkinson's arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball, slider, cutter and changeup. While the fastball typically sits in the low-90s, the southpaw makes up for his low velocity with strong control over his pitches.
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Matt Wilkinson Could Debut Against Former Team
Wilkinson's promotion to the majors is not only noteworthy for his rapid progress, but his MLB debut could come against the team that traded him away: the Guardians.
After today's off-day, the Giants will travel to Cleveland and play the Guardians in a three-game series. Wilkinson, who was a 10th-round pick by the Guardians in the 2023 MLB Draft, spent two-and-a-half years in the organization and looked fantastic in Double-A Akron prior to being traded.
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As for Patrick Bailey, the two-time Gold Glove-winning catcher has been his usual self since arriving to Cleveland. His bat is still poor, hitting just .208/.260/.357 with a 71 wRC+ in 54 games, but Bailey's defense remains stellar with five Fielding Runs, ranking in the 83rd percentile on Statcast .
Regardless of Bailey's contributions, Wilkinson can give the Guardians some buyer's remorse if he makes a strong MLB debut during this upcoming series.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
