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SF Giants prospects: LHP Kyle Harrison to begin rehab assignment at ACL

SF Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi revealed that top pitching prospect Kyle Harrison will begin a rehab assignment at the ACL.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants prospects: LHP Kyle Harrison to begin rehab assignment at ACL
SF Giants prospects: LHP Kyle Harrison to begin rehab assignment at ACL

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San Francisco Giants

One of the most exciting prospects in the SF Giants farm system is slated to return to action on Monday night. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters during his media availability on Monday afternoon that Harrison is slated to begin an official rehab assignment at the Arizona Complex League on Monday night. Zaidi did not provide the exact plan but said, "I think he's throwing two innings." The news reiterates a recent Giants Baseball Insider report that Harrison was trending toward a return, which ran counter to a report by The Athletic's Keith Law.

The best pitching prospect in the Giants organization (and arguably the best in the minors), Harrison has spent the entire 2023 season at Triple-A Sacramento. He recorded a 4.79 ERA with 92 strikeouts and 44 walks in 56.1 innings pitched (15 games) prior to the injury. Harrison has shown an impressive ability to strikeout opposing hitters but has struggled to work deep into games because of erratic command.

The Giants drafted Harrison in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Bay Area's own De La Salle High School and convinced him to forego attending UCLA with a $2.5 million signing bonus. In 2021, he began his pro career at full-season ball and went on to win the Low-A West Pitcher of the Year Award. He led the California League in ERA (3.19) and strikeouts per nine innings (14.3) and was named the league's Pitcher of the Year.

Harrison, now 21, emerged as a consensus top-50 prospect in the minor leagues last season after splitting his time between Eugene and Richmond. He recorded 186 strikeouts and only 49 walks in 113 innings with an exceptional 2.71 ERA between High-A and Double-A.

Zaidi said last offseason that the SF Giants expect Kyle Harrison to make his MLB debut at some point this season. While the organization had service time incentives that could have impacted its handling of the young southpaw earlier in the season, his rehab timeline could very easily take those out of the equation. It may not be long before he makes his big-league debut.

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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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