The SF Giants may not have much left to play for this season, but that only makes the case for Jonah Cox even stronger. If the priority is giving younger players a chance to get reps, the hot-hitting outfielder from Triple-A looks like an obvious next move.
Cox has been on a tear since beginning a rehab assignment with the Sacramento River Cats after an oblique strain sidelined him for a while. In 11 games, he has hit .468/.519/.660 with one home run, seven runs batted in, and seven stolen bases. That kind of production makes it hard to keep him parked in Sacramento much longer.
The timing also makes his absence from the big-league roster a little hard to figure. Victor Bericoto was just brought back after a shorter rehab stint, which makes Cox look like a natural candidate for a call-up as well.
Cox already got a look earlier this season when he was promoted to the majors straight from Double-A. In that brief stint, he went 7-for-26. Some of those hits came against position players in blowouts, and he had stretches where big-league pitching clearly had the upper hand, so it’s fair to say the Giants may have wanted him to settle in more before giving him another shot.
But now he looks much more like himself. His speed and defense give him value even if the bat still needs time to fully translate at the highest level.
Roster space could be part of the holdup. The Giants would need to decide who to demote or DFA to make room, and Buddy Kennedy stands out as the simplest answer. Kennedy has not recorded a hit for the Giants this year across two separate stints, so the case to move on from him is pretty straightforward.
There’s also a possible fit if San Francisco wants to keep another infield option around, especially with Willy Adames’ health situation. Cox showed earlier this year that he can handle second base, and Ron Washington could probably get a sack of potatoes to pick it pretty good.
Long term, Cox looks more like part of the Giants’ future than Buddy Kennedy does. It’s not hard to picture next season with a center-field platoon featuring Drew Gilbert and Cox, with both bringing defense and speed. Gilbert hits righties well, while Cox would probably be the better option against lefties.
For now, the main point is simple: Cox is hot, he’s already shown he can help in multiple spots, and every big-league at-bat he gets now can pay off later. The Giants should give him that chance soon.
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Manager Tony Vitello has made clear he believes Davidsons ceiling is much higher than a standard prospect story would suggest, which is part of why the conversation around him has moved beyond development and into roster planning. The Giants are still looking at him as a potential Opening Day piece in 2027, but the exact path to his debut is not fully settled, leaving his timeline as one of the more interesting questions hanging over the system. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Have A Heliot Ramos Problem They Cant Ignore
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What makes the situation more intriguing is that Ramos is not a short-term rental, so the Yankees have time to let this play out rather than making an instant judgment. Once healthier bats return, New York could have to decide whether to keep running him out there regularly or use him in a more limited role alongside Spencer Jones, a choice that says plenty about how quickly this move will be reworked if the offense keeps sputtering. [Read more 🡒]