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Reds call up former SF Giants prospect acquired in Blake Sabol trade

The Cincinnati Reds called up former SF Giants third-round pick, right-handed pitcher Jake Wong, from Triple-A Louisville on Monday.
Marc Delucchi|
Reds call up former SF Giants prospect acquired in Blake Sabol trade
Reds call up former SF Giants prospect acquired in Blake Sabol trade

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San Francisco GiantsCincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds added right-handed pitcher Jake Wong to their 40-man roster and recalled him to the big-league roster in a series of roster moves on Monday. He was recalled alongside righty Eduardo Salazar. Levi Stoudt was optioned, and Randy Wynne was designated for assignment in corresponding moves. Wong had spent his entire professional career in the SF Giants organization before he was traded to the Reds as a player to be named later for Reds Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol (Giants preseason #33 prospect).

Wong shifted to the bullpen this season and racked up 23 strikeouts against just three walks in 15 innings pitched at Double-A before he was promoted to the highest level of the minors. He has struggled mightily since reaching Triple-A, though, with a 10.13 ERA and more walks (16) than strikeouts in 18.2 innings. However, the Reds' pitching staff has been depleted by injuries and heavy bullpen usage, leading them to call upon Wong.

The Giants drafted Wong in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Grand Canyon University. He becomes the sixth member of San Francisco's 2018 class to reach the majors. Wong had primarily showcased a low-90s fastball and promising breaking ball as a starting pitcher in college but flashed high-90s velocity in the Cape Cod League, leading many scouts to speculate he had a long-term future in the bullpen.

Wong recorded a 3.90 ERA in 113 innings pitched with 101 strikeouts and 35 walks between Single and High-A in his first full professional season. However, his development would be stalled by a pair of tough breaks. After the pandemic cost Wong the 2020 minor-league season, he missed the entire 2021 campaign after undergoing UCL surgery.

Finally back on the field last year, Wong returned to High-A and posted a 4.52 ERA with 108 strikeouts and 44 walks in 97.2 innings pitched (25 games). His fastball sat around 92-94 mph, but he continued to only consistently trust his breaking ball among his secondary offerings. Wong was actually eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft, like Sabol, but was unselected and subsequently traded.

Despite Wong reaching the majors, the Giants' front office has little reason to regret their offseason trade. Sabol has hit .256/.325/.415 with seven doubles and seven home runs as a versatile left-handed bat capable of playing catcher or left field.

The SF Giants and Cincinnati Reds have been the two hottest teams in MLB over the past few weeks. As the Reds try to stay hot with a depleted pitching staff, they made a series of roster moves to welcome Jake Wong to the majors.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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