SAN DIEGO — The Giants made a slew of roster moves prior to Thursday afternoon’s series finale at Petco Park, the headliner being the team’s decision to select the contract of right-hander Joel Peguero and grant him his first major-league call-up.
Additionally, the team optioned right-hander Kai-Wei Teng and outfielder Grant McCray to Triple-A Sacramento; recalled outfielder Luis Matos from Sacramento; and transferred Erik Miller to the 60-day injured list. Miller’s season is likely over given he’s been on the injured list with a left elbow sprain since early July.
San Francisco also plans on placing right-hander Landen Roupp on the injured list after he sustained a left knee sprain in Wednesday’s 8-1 loss to the Padres. Roupp will receive an MRI on Thursday afternoon, which will reveal the severity of his injury. In Roupp’s place, rookie left-hander Carson Whisenhunt (5.02 ERA) will be recalled and start on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lastly, third baseman Matt Chapman (right hand inflammation) is on track to return from the injured list on Saturday against the Brewers.
Peguero, 28, made a lasting impression during spring training and nearly made the Opening Day roster. With a triple-digit four-seam fastball in tow, Peguero tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts en route to winning the 2025 Barney Nugent Award.
The flamethrower began his season with Triple-A Sacramento and struggled over the first couple months, owning a 7.71 ERA by the end of June and missing time in May due to knee inflammation. Since July, he’s posted a 2.53 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 21 1/3 innings.
Peguero learned of his promotion following the River Cats’ game on Wednesday night when he was asked if he wanted to go to San Diego. The question initially confused Peguero since the River Cats were playing in El Paso, but Peguero soon realized he was headed to the show. Upon learning the news, Peguero informed his wife and family.
“It’s like a dream come true. … This feels amazing,” Peguero said. “It’s like, ‘Hey, you’re in the big leagues now, wake up.’”
This moment has been roughly a decade in the making for Peguero, who began his professional career in 2015 when he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Peguero pitched in the Rays’ minor-league system for six seasons before being traded to the Colorado Rockies in ’22. He would then spend the ’23 season with Washington Nationals’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, then pitched all of ’24 with the Detroit Tigers’ Double-A affiliate. Now, he’s on the cusp of making his major-league debut.
“He’s pitching his best baseball now,” said manager Bob Melvin. “When he left spring, he was a guy we felt like we might see. He was on the verge of making the team. Got off to a little bit of a slow start. … We do need another relief arm. We’d like to take a look at him. This is going to be his big-league debut. He’s been around a while and obviously has a great arm. He gets his first shot today, and we’re excited about that.”
Regarding right field, Matos stands to receive consistent playing time in the majors for the first time this season.
Matos, 23, has split time between San Francisco and Sacramento after making the Opening Day roster, posting a .559 OPS over 40 games in the majors. Before Mike Yastrzemski was traded to the Kansas City Royals, most of Matos’ opportunities to start were against left-handed pitching. Going forward, Matos and Drew Gilbert stand to both receive time in right field.
“We saw a stretch last year where he was playing every day and he was player of the week,” Melvin said. “He had a really great stretch when he got an opportunity to play every day. His role would suggest he’s been up to play against lefties, which typically means you’re sitting around for a few days. You look at his numbers over the years and he hits righties better than he does lefties.
“One, we weren’t doing Grant any good by not (playing) him much at all. Now, we at least have a righty and a lefty and I think a runway for Luis to get some consistent at-bats, as well as getting Gilbert in there. We’ve seen Luis be really, really good when he’s gotten consistent at-bats, and hopefully that’s the case.”