Giants Turn to Pitching Prospect Carson Whisenhunt During Doubleheader

The San Francisco Giants' game against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday was suspended due to rain, leading to a doubleheader on Wednesday. As a result, the Giants are set to call up one of their top pitching prospects to take the ball in the second game.

Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, San Francisco's No. 11 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, is expected to be the Giants' starting pitcher on Wednesday night, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Shayna Rubin. The 25-year-old is San Francisco's 27th man for the doubleheader, according to the California Post's Evan Webeck, which means he'll most likely return to the minors after this one start.

Whisenhunt made his MLB debut last year, but this will be his first big league start of 2026. Giants manager Tony Vitello recently said the southpaw is the "next man up" for San Francisco, according to Webeck. With that in mind, this outing could go a long way in determining if the 2022 second-round draft pick will get another shot to stick around in the majors beyond Wednesday.

How has Carson Whisenhunt pitched so far in 2026?

Aug 27, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt (88) reacts during the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Whisenhunt made some noise earlier this year by displaying increased velocity in spring training. And so far this season, the southpaw's ERA is almost a full run lower than it was last year in Triple-A.

Through his first 14 Triple-A appearances of 2026, the 25-year-old has a 3.65 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 69 innings. In 2025, the young lefty posted a 4.43 ERA in 21 Triple-A starts, striking out 95 batters in 107 2/3 innings. And in his first stint in the majors last year, Whisenhunt made five big league starts, producing a 5.01 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.

Following the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader, the Giants have a 30-43 record on the season. San Francisco is widely considered to be a team that could sell at the trade deadline. While it doesn't sound like the Giants are interested in entertaining offers for two-time All-Star Logan Webb, Whisenhunt could be an option to join the big league rotation if another hurler is traded away. But, for now, San Francisco will most likely be interested to see how the southpaw pitches in his first MLB start of 2026.

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