By admin 
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
Read our AI Policy.
- Jonah Cox, 23, was named to start in center field for the Giants in Milwaukee.
- Cox debuted as a pinch runner, scored and doubled in his first MLB at-bat Sunday.
- Cox hit .400 with 27 steals and 22 extra-base hits in 44 games for Richmond.
Jonah Cox isn’t ranked among the San Francisco Giants’ top 30 prospects on MLB Pipeline.
Read more The Bee endorses Shannon Grove for Board of Equalization District 1. Here’s what to know
Days ago Cox was still with the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels. Now, he’s an MLB starter.
After a stellar debut Sunday, the Giants announced Monday afternoon that Cox would start in center field and hit ninth when the Giants take on the Milwaukee Brewers at 4:40 p.m. Monday in Milwaukee.
Cox, 23, entered Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies as a pinch runner in the top of the eighth inning, later scoring, before hitting a double down the right field line in his first Major League at-bat in the ninth.
His 101.5 mph line-drive double was the final offensive push in a 25-hit, 19-run Giants effort that led to a convincing win over National League West rival Colorado Rockies to stay out of fifth place in the division. The win was a bright spot in a tough start of the season for the 23–36 Giants, also showcasing the young talents of Cox and top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who had his first four-hit game.
Being from Louisville, Colorado, a suburb of the Rockies’ home Denver, the strong performance against his hometown team meant even more for Cox.
Read more Sacramento Bee endorses Josh Fryday for California lieutenant governor. Here’s what to know
“It was like, ‘Oh, I used to sit in those seats,’” Cox said, according to MLB.com. “It’s still kind of surreal.”
In his first two seasons in the Minor Leagues, Cox had established himself as a power-speed threat, but hadn’t made national waves across Rookie and various levels of Single-A ball. However, Cox had turned his game to another gear in 44 games this season with Richmond before his call-up, hitting .400 with 27 stolen bases and 22 extra-base hits.
A call-up directly from Double-A is becoming increasingly rare, with many top prospects spending time in Triple-A, though Cox’s recent surge, coupled with the Giants recent struggles allowed him to buck that trend.
“He certainly earned it,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said Sunday, according to MLB.com.
Read more CA High-Speed Rail OKs $3.5B deal for track work — work appears just months away