'All the talent in the world': Luciano makes MLB debut

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants are expected to be among the teams seeking out middle infield help at Tuesday’s Trade Deadline, but for now, they’ll look for an internal boost from one of their top prospects.

The Giants called up shortstop Marco Luciano and optioned infielder David Villar to Triple-A Sacramento prior to Wednesday night’s 8-3 win over the A’s, which secured a sweep of the two-game Bay Bridge Series at Oracle Park.

Luciano, who is ranked the club’s No. 2 prospect and No. 15 overall in the game by MLB Pipeline, started at shortstop and batted eighth in his Major League debut, going 0-for-2 while helping to turn two double plays behind opener Ryan Walker and bulk reliever Alex Wood.

“I think he has a chance to make an impact for us,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “In this particular case, it’s pretty clear that we can use a good, quality middle infielder right now. He’s got all the talent in the world, and we’re excited to see what he can do at the Major League level.”

Luciano received a standing ovation from the home fans in attendance when he stepped up to the plate for his first at-bat against A’s right-hander Freddy Tarnok in the second inning, driving a first-pitch fastball to the right-field wall for a 338-foot flyout. He grounded out in his second trip to the plate in the fifth before being lifted for pinch-hitter Joc Pederson in the seventh.

“It felt great,” Luciano said of the warm reception he received in the second inning. “I’m really thankful for all of the support from the fans. It was an unforgettable experience.”

While Luciano went hitless, the Giants received a lift from a few other rookies, as Casey Schmitt, Luis Matos and Patrick Bailey each doubled to help fuel the club’s best offensive output in over a week.

San Francisco entered Wednesday having scored only 11 runs over its previous seven games, but it seized an early lead behind J.D. Davis’ two-run homer in the first and then snapped a 3-3 tie on Austin Slater’s go-ahead, pinch-hit blast off A’s lefty Hogan Harris in the sixth.

“We definitely needed this,” said Slater, who is now tied with teammate Wilmer Flores for the most pinch-hit homers in the Majors (8) since his debut in 2017. “It was great to see everyone contribute all the way down the line. It’s something we’ve been missing the last week-plus.”

The 21-year-old Luciano made his Triple-A debut on July 18, going 7-for-24 (.292) with two home runs, two doubles and three walks over his first six games with Sacramento. He homered in the River Cats’ 9-6 loss at Albuquerque on Tuesday night, with the two-run blast leaving his bat at an eye-popping 110 mph.

Luciano found out he’d been promoted from Sacramento fundamentals coach Jolbert Cabrera, who summoned him to the hotel lobby around 11 p.m. on Tuesday to share the news.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Luciano said in Spanish. “It didn’t hit me until I got here this morning. I was in my hotel room last night, and I couldn’t believe it.”

A native of San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Luciano is batting .235/.342/.469 with 13 homers and 35 RBIs over 62 games between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, though he missed the first month of the Minor League season while rehabbing a back injury and had started to settle into a nice offensive groove in recent weeks.

Since June 10, Luciano has slashed .305/.407/.576 with eight homers, eight doubles, 20 RBIs, 21 walks and three steals over 32 games.

“I think I was affected by the time I missed,” Luciano said. “I didn’t really feel like myself early on, but with each at-bat, I slowly started regaining my confidence at the plate.”

The Giants have shown a willingness to aggressively promote prospects once they’ve begun to heat up at the plate, as they also called up Bailey and Matos after short stints at Triple-A earlier this year. Luciano was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason, so the Giants didn't have to clear a spot to give him his first look in the Majors.

Luciano and Matos, who signed with the Giants as teenagers in 2018, were both in the lineup Wednesday, marking the first time the club started two players under the age of 22 in the same game since 1982.

With Brandon Crawford (left knee inflammation) and Thairo Estrada (left hand fracture) on the injured list, Luciano is expected to help fill in at shortstop, though it remains to be seen if he’ll be here to stay, as Crawford appears to be on track to return as soon as Friday.

“I think, first, let’s just see a couple of days,” Kapler said. “We’ll see where we are on Friday when Craw is eligible to come off. The first thing is making sure Craw is healthy and look at how he’s doing in a vacuum. It doesn't necessarily have to be tied in any way to Marco or his performance.”