Matt Wilkinson’s first few starts have already painted a pretty clear picture for the Giants: lefties are a problem for him, but righties are another story entirely.
The rookie southpaw was tagged for seven runs, four of them earned, over three innings on Friday night, and the Mets made the damage even louder by sending up seven right-handed hitters. That plan worked. Wilkinson gave up three home runs in the outing, and every bit of the trouble came against right-handed bats.
That kind of matchup is going to keep showing up if the Giants leave him in the rotation. It also raises the possibility that this game was one where an opener might have made more sense, giving Wilkinson a softer path into the night instead of asking him to navigate a right-handed-heavy lineup from the jump.
For now, though, the Giants are still giving him runway. Wilkinson has made only four starts, so it is far too early for the club to make a hard call. And with the pitching staff thin, they need innings wherever they can get them.
The usual path for a young pitcher is straightforward: start in the rotation, then move to the bullpen if the role does not fit. Stuff, control and durability all factor into that decision.
Wilkinson has already shown two of those boxes are checked. He went 11.2 innings before issuing his first walk, and he has thrown at least 100 combined innings in each of the past three seasons.
The question is the stuff.
His mix is built around a low 90's four-seamer, a low 80's changeup and a high 70's slider. None of those pitches grades out as above average, so he leans on pitchability and deception. His delivery helps some, too, with above-average extension and a low release point making the ball tougher for left-handed hitters to read.
That part has worked. Lefties have had almost no success against him, and in his early major league work he has shown extreme platoon splits. Wilkinson has allowed a 1.032 OPS to right-handed hitters, compared with just .154 against left-handers.
The numbers against lefties are as stark as they get: one hit in 13 at-bats. Across his time in the minors and majors in 2026, he has allowed only a .359 OPS to left-handed bats.
If that pattern holds, the long-term fit may not be in the rotation at all. It could point to a situational lefty job down the line. The Giants will keep letting him try to figure out right-handed hitters, but that is the central challenge now, whether he is starting games or eventually working out of the bullpen.
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