The Giants spent much of the season piecing together a pitching staff on the fly, and that reality opened the door for Yunior Marte to get his shot.
Marte, a right-hander acquired in the Mike Yastrzemski trade with the Kansas City Royals back in 2025, moved through the minors this year and earned a promotion from Double-A Richmond despite not posting eye-popping numbers. In the minors, he logged a 3.85 ERA across 107 and 2/3 innings between the High-A Eugene Emeralds and the Flying Squirrels, with 113 strikeouts and 41 walks.
On paper, that might have looked like a fast track to the majors, but the Giants were dealing with so many injuries that they needed arms wherever they could find them. Marte also would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft after the season, so adding him to the 40-man roster protected him from being poached by another club, even if there are no guarantees there will be a Rule 5 draft because of the uncertainty created by the lockout.
Once he arrived, Marte handled himself well. His first career MLB outing was a strong one: he gave up just one earned run over 4 and 2/3 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The moment carried a little extra meaning, too, because Juan Marichal was in attendance for the jersey retirement of Jeff Kent, giving Marte the chance to pitch in front of an icon from his native Dominican Republic.
His big-league line was solid overall. Marte finished with a 4.44 ERA in five appearances and 24 and 1/3 innings.
He struck out 15, walked five, and allowed five home runs. That’s not the kind of debut season that turns heads across the league, but it was enough to suggest he belongs in the conversation.
Looking ahead, Marte figures to be part of the Giants’ starting depth. The team will likely add at least one or two starters in free agency, but if injuries hit again, they’ll be leaning on the same group of arms that carried them late in 2026. Marte, Matt Wilkinson, Cesar Perdomo, and Anthony Molina all look like important depth pieces, and Marte in particular should be in the mix again even if he isn’t being penciled in as a long-term rotation fixture just yet.
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