The San Francisco Giants are calling up left-hander Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson, sources tell ESPN. Wilkinson, acquired in the Patrick Bailey trade, was a 10th-round pick out of junior college and has allowed just 59 hits in 90 innings this season while striking out 96.
San Francisco Giants call up Canadian pitcher Matt Wilkinson
Photo credit: © Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Aug 17, 2026, 13:57 EDT
Another Canadian baseball player is on his way to the majors.
On Monday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the San Francisco Giants are calling up left-hander Matt Wilkinson.
Acquired by the Giants from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for catcher Patrick Bailey on May 9, the left-hander has worked his way from Double-A at the start of the 2026 season to receive the call for his first taste at the MLB level.
At the time of the trade, Wilkinson had made six starts with the Akron RubberDucks and was 1-2 with a 1.59 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP, with 36 strikeouts across 28.1 innings pitched. Upon his arrival in the Giants’ organization, he joined the Richmond Flying Squirrels at the Double-A level.
In three starts with the Flying Squirrels, the 23-year-old went 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. Wilkinson struck out 13 batters across 15 innings and held opponents to a .115 average, prompting the Giants to move him up to the Triple-A level.
Since joining the Sacramento River Cats in the Pacific Coast League, Wilkinson has made 10 starts and has gone 3-4 with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. The lefty has struck out 43 batters across his 43.2 frames while holding opponents to a .228 average. With the Giants currently in the midst of a lost season, Wilkinson gets his shot to test his talents with the big-league club.
A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadian baseball fans might remember Wilkinson best for his performance at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. In two games at the WBC, Wilkinson threw 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball, including two shutout innings against the eventual runner-up Team United States of America.
Entering in the top of the eighth inning, Wilkinson worked a clean frame by setting down Alex Bregman on a popout, Roman Anthony on a flyout before striking out Cal Raleigh swinging on a 90.7 MPH fastball.
Sent back out for the top of the ninth, Wilkinson got a double play off the bat of Pete Crow-Armstrong to erase a leadoff walk before allowing another free pass to Bobby Witt Jr. With a runner on first and two out, Wilkinson got Bryce Harper to strike out swinging on a 77.1 MPH slider to put a stamp on an impressive performance.
With the Giants set to travel to Cleveland to begin a three-game series on Tuesday, Wilkinson may get the opportunity to pitch in his debut against the club that originally drafted him in the 10th round in 2023.
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