The Giants are ready to push two of their most promising middle infielders into the next stage of their development.
Kyle Haines told Glen Kuiper on his Youtube channel that Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernández will head to Low-A once the Arizona Complex League season wraps up. It’s the kind of move the Giants have leaned on more often in recent years, especially now that the old short-season level is gone and there’s no longer a natural bridge between rookie ball and Low-A.
That path worked out well for several Giants prospects last season. Jhonny Level, Argenis Cayama, Keyner Martinez, and Luis De La Torre were among the players sent to San Jose as mid-year promotions after strong rookie-ball showings. Level, in particular, turned that opportunity into a strong year with the San Jose Giants before moving quickly on to Eugene.
Now the organization is hoping Gonzalez and Hernández can follow a similar track.
Gonzalez, who signed out of the Dominican Republic during the 2025 international signing period, spent last summer in the Dominican Summer League before putting together a strong ACL season. He posted a .966 OPS with two home runs and 24 RBI in 122 plate appearances, while also stealing eight bases in 10 attempts. A leg injury cost him some time, but he is healthy now, and health was the only real obstacle standing between him and Low-A this year.
Hernández came into the system in this year’s international signing cycle out of Venezuela, and the Giants even gave serious thought to sending him straight to Low-A because they believed his bat was already advanced enough for that level. Instead, he spent the summer in the ACL and delivered a .917 OPS with six home runs and 45 RBI in 228 plate appearances.
At 17, Hernández will be one of the youngest players in the California League.
Both players are expected to stay at shortstop long term, and they split time there this summer. When they weren’t at short, Hernández got looks at third base while Gonzalez worked at second.
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