The Giants are selecting outfielder Turner Hill onto the major league roster, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Matt Chapman was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. They’ll need to make an active roster move before tomorrow’s game against Colorado.
Hill overcomes the odds in making the majors as a former undrafted free agent. The left-handed hitter signed with San Francisco in 2023 after playing his amateur ball at Division III Marietta College. (He’ll be the school’s first MLB alum in almost two decades.) Given that background, it’s not surprising that Hill has never rated as a premium prospect. He has simply hit at every minor league stop.
That includes an excellent 2026 season at the top two levels. Hill opened the year at Double-A Richmond and proved far too advanced, forcing his way to Triple-A by the middle of April. He has hit .353/.420/.529 with more walks than strikeouts over 365 plate appearances in the Pacific Coast League, where he’s riding a 26-game hit streak. Hill leads Triple-A in batting average (minimum 200 PAs) and is fourth in the PCL in on-base percentage. He has added nine home runs and 23 stolen bases in 28 tries.
Hill is already 27, so the Triple-A production isn’t as eye-popping as it would be for someone five or six years his junior. Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs gave him an honorable mention in his writeup of the San Francisco farm system in June, noting his elite contact skills but writing that Hill has bottom of the scale power. He puts half his batted balls on the ground and has middling exit velocities, so he’ll need to continue reaching base at a high clip to carve out an MLB role.
It’s worthwhile for the Giants to give Hill a look and see if he can be a fourth/fifth outfielder. The team hasn’t hit in the second half. Starting center fielder Drew Gilbert is a below-average regular, while fourth outfielder Grant McCray is 3-37 on the year. Hill can play anywhere in the outfield but should see the bulk of his action complementing Gilbert and Victor Bericoto in center and left, respectively.
The Giants have a handful of free 40-man roster spots. Chapman is done for the season after undergoing core surgery on Tuesday. Casey Schmitt, Daniel Susac and Harrison Bader are probably all out for the year and could eventually move to the 60-day IL.
