Top SF Giants outfield prospect set to move to Triple-A, big leagues possible in 2021

Top Giants outfield prospect Heliot Ramos appears to be moving closer to achieving his major league dreams.

Ramos’ agency, Munger English Sports Management, tweeted Tuesday that the 21-year-old was being promoted from Double-A Richmond to Triple-A Sacramento.

The news comes after Ramos represented the Giants organization alongside top overall prospect, shortstop Marco Luciano, at the Futures Game in Denver during All-Star week festivities.

Ramos was one of the Giants’ top offensive performers during spring training and had his sights set on playing in the big leagues early in the season, but he was assigned to Double-A Richmond where he’s had a challenging season. The club’s first round draft choice in 2017, Ramos is batting .237 with a .756 OPS and 10 home runs at the Double-A level this season.
• SF Giants’ minor leaguer Drew Robinson earns No. 1 play on SportsCenter with diving snag
• SF Giants rout Dodgers, Posey homers in return, bullpen turns in best performance of 2021
• SF Giants’ toughest test of season arrives as team’s 2021 MVP hits the injured list
• SF Giants take another major blow, lose Brandon Crawford to injury
• SF Giants get two All-Stars back, lose a bullpen arm and catcher with latest roster moves

Ramos’ biggest struggles came during the month of June when he hit just .155 and struck out in 32 of his 97 at-bats, but he’s been much improved since the beginning of July as the Puerto Rico native has launched five home runs and posted a .950 OPS in 53 at-bats.

A move to Triple-A, which has not yet been confirmed by the organization, would send Ramos from one of the toughest leagues for minor league hitters to a level where hitters tend to have an upper hand on pitchers.

Ramos was confident during spring training that he could help the Giants this year and with more than two months left on the schedule, it’s possible he can play his way into a late-season promotion. Several Giants outfielders have struggled at the plate in recent weeks, but a front office led by Farhan Zaidi and Scott Harris can still consider external upgrades ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.

If the Giants don’t make any big changes to their outfield depth chart before the deadline, Ramos, former Mariners prospect Braden Bishop and a 2020 Opening Day starter, Joe McCarthy, may have a chance to help the major league club in August and September.

Bishop and McCarthy have been two of the Giants’ top performers at Triple-A Sacramento where utility man Mauricio Dubón has also been playing since June. Dubón is the only member of the group on the Giants’ 40-man roster which increases the likelihood of a call-up, but the Giants will have to add Ramos to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, so a decision from the front office to do so during August or September wouldn’t come as a major surprise.