Giants call up right-hander Carson Seymour, option Sean Hjelle to Sacramento

San Francisco Chronicle​

13 hours ago

CHICAGO — In need of a fresh arm, the San Francisco Giants recalled right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour from Triple-A Sacramento before their game against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
Sean Hjelle was optioned to Sacramento as the corresponding roster move. Hjelle's wife had recently posted allegations of abuse against the reliever that the league is looking into. Hjelle said last week he and his wife are in the process of divorcing, but he has not made an official statement on the allegations, adding that he will 'have one eventually.'
Hjelle has a 6.75 ERA in nine appearances this year and allowed four runs in one inning in the Giants' loss to Miami on Thursday. He pitched in three consecutive games and manager Bob Melvin said his demotion had most to do with the lack of long relief options available on Friday in Chicago.
Hjelle 'is probably down for a couple days, we've used some bullpen, you kind of have to keep an eye on what potential length you need and we don't have a ton of it today,' Melvin said. 'That's why Seymour is here.'
Seymour, 26, was scratched from his scheduled start with the River Cats on Thursday to join the Giants at the start of a three-city road trip, where he's looking to make his big league debut. Seymour isn't daunted by the shift in role, saying he thought that would be his future when the New York Mets drafted him in the sixth round out of Kansas State in 2021.
'When I first got drafted I thought, relief? And they were like, 'No, you're going to start.' And I thought, 'OK!'' Seymour said. 'So I'm just happy to be here.'
Seymour, who stands 6-foot-6, was a standout during big league camp this spring and is ranked as one of the Giants' top pitching prospects. The Giants acquired him in a 2022 trade along with J.D. Davis for Darin Ruf.
Much like Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison (before he was traded to the Red Sox) earlier this year, Seymour's addition to the bullpen allows the Giants to get one of their touted pitching prospects a taste of the big leagues. Plans in the years to come are to have Seymour compete for a spot in the rotation along with two other top pitching prospects named Carson — Carson Whisenhunt and Carson Ragsdale. No, he didn't gloat to the other Carsons that he is the first of the Carson trio to get called up to the majors.
'It just kind of worked out that way with the lining of the rotation,' Seymour said. 'We're all equally great, I'd say. … We all love each other.'
Added Melvin on Seymour: 'We saw it in spring training. It's big stuff, high velocity, down the mound. There's a lot to like, there are strikeouts involved. He's someone we have a bright future for; it's not a bad idea to get guys here to get a taste of the big leagues. We do have a need for some length right now and that's how he'll be used, but just being around the big league team — because at some point in time he will be a big leaguer — we're excited about having him.'
The bullpen, one of baseball's best, got roughed up during their last homestand, posting a 5.84 ERA over the team's last six games against the Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins. Seymour brings to the group a 3.89 ERA with 83 strikeouts and 37 walks in 15 starts this year, strong numbers in a Pacific Coast League that is unfriendly to pitchers. Notably, he has a 10.1 strikeout-per-nine innings rate.
Seymour attributes the strong strikeout numbers to an eclectic pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball that can touch the high-90s mph, a two-seamer and two different sliders, one with bigger horizontal movement and a tighter, gyro slider, plus a changeup and cutter he's sprinkling in.
'I'm really trying to expand the mix,' Seymour said. 'I've been throwing a lot of fastballs and mixing all that in has done a lot to help on the sliders.'
Seymour's wife, parents, sister and uncle were to be in Chicago to see his potential debut. As was his father-in-law, Donnie Campbell, who is the real-life inspiration for the television character Ted Lasso. Campbell, a high school basketball coach in the greater Kansas City, Mo., area, coached Jason Sudeikis, who developed the HBO show and plays the titular role.
Briefly: Casey Schmitt was out of the lineup for a second straight game nursing a sore left hand, but was to take dry swings on Friday with hopes of playing in Saturday's game. Schmitt was hit in the hand with a pitch on Wednesday; an X-ray and CT scan showed no fractures or damage.