Seeking offensive jolt, SF Giants call up top prospect Marco Luciano

SAN FRANCISCO — In desperate need of an offensive jolt, the Giants on Wednesday called up their top hitting prospect since Buster Posey.

After only six games at Triple-A, 21-year-old shortstop Marco Luciano earned a quick promotion to the major leagues, the Giants announced Wednesday. David Villar was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move.

Luciano was batting .235 with 13 home runs between Double- and Triple-A this season but was off to a strong start at Sacramento, with homers in his past two games. His low batting average also obscures a strong .342 on-base percentage, fueled by a 17.3% walk rate — a sign of the plate discipline the Giants desire to see in young players.

Like other top hitting prospects, the Giants promoted Luciano aggressively this season. None of Luis Matos, Patrick Bailey or Casey Schmitt logged more than 32 games at Triple-A before receiving the call to the bigs, but at only six games at the highest level of the minor leagues, Luciano got the quickest call of all.

Rated the top hitting prospect in the Giants’ system, Luciano is considered the No. 60 prospect in the sport by Baseball America. He peaked at No. 12 in Baseball America’s rankings before the 2021 season before suffering a back injury that cost him much of 2022.

Known for his prodigious power above all else, Luciano will look to provide a similar boost as the other young players. Despite their lack of upper-level experience, each player started strong before falling off into a team-wide slump that has lasted for much of July.

While the Giants snapped their six-game losing streak Tuesday against the A’s, they have scored 11 runs in their past seven games. Since the start of the month, the Giants have scored the fewest runs per game in the majors with the league’s worst batting average and OPS.

The Giants have been seeking middle infielders on the trade market with the deadline looming Tuesday.

Brandon Crawford (left knee inflammation) is due back Friday, but his workload will likely have to be managed. Thairo Estrada (fractured hand) has begun baseball work but is still weeks away.

For now, at least, they will look at their internal options before making a trade.

Check back for updates.