After a Long Wait, It's Finally Time for Giants Pitcher Carson Whisenhunt to Shine

They say you never know when you get a call that can change your night. On Tuesday, Carson Whisenhunt certainly did, as he found out during his Triple-A game that night that he was headed to Atlanta to face the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.

Whisenhunt says he boarded a 2 AM flight to arrive in plenty of time to pitch. It was a sleepy spot start, but Whisenhunt definitely didn't yawn through it. The southpaw rubbed the sand out of his eyes long enough to toss five innings, allowing two runs on two hits, with two strikeouts in San Francisco's 7-5 win.

"I thought he was outstanding."

A sleep-deprived Carson Whisenhunt kept one of MLB's best teams at bay on short notice in the Giants' second win of the day 👏 (via @angewrites)https://t.co/8xmocaoPma
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 18, 2026

"I thought he was outstanding," Giants manager Tony Vitello told reporters. "I mean, he put on a clinic for how to handle traffic, because there weren't very many moments in the game where it was easy, or he just breezed.

"To come in on a flight and all that stuff, I'm sure he's not the first guy to do it the way that he did it, but I think it's pretty commendable how well he pitched on the road against a great team."

Whisenhunt's Positive Performance

Carson Whisenhun — Whisenhunt during spring training | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Unfortunately for those who were encouraged by the outing, Whisenhunt was immediately sent back to Sacramento following the spot start. However, this looks like the last season he will be taking the minor league shuttle back and forth, as he's positioned himself to capture a spot in the Giants' rotation during spring training next season (if there is one).

Still, the lefty relished the opportunity, even if he had to lose a little sleep over it.

“It was a quick turnaround from finding out yesterday, but everything was good,” Whisenhunt said. “It was obviously not the best it could have been, but for what I had to work with there, I felt pretty solid.”

Teammate Bryce Eldridge, who hasn't been in the Majors long himself, was happy to see one of his contemporaries do well. He praised his teammate's performance and let the league know it shouldn't sleep on the southpaw's skills.

“He came in early this morning with not a lot of rest,” Eldridge said. “To see him do that against the best offense in the league shows what he’s capable of."

There's no doubt that Whisenhunt will be back up with San Francisco again at some point this season, possibly for more spot starts or a September call-up. In 2027, he's expected to make the roster out of spring training and compete for a spot in the rotation.

But before that happens? Maybe we should let him get some rest first.

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