The San Francisco Giants are betting on the hottest bat in the minor leagues. The club officially called up 24-year-old outfielder Jonah Cox from the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels today. A clubhouse source confirmed the Colorado native is positioned to make his Major League debut this afternoon against the Rockies in Denver.
Cox has been completely tearing apart Eastern League pitching. He was pulled aside just before Richmond’s game against the Akron RubberDucks to get the news. The promotion is entirely earned. Cox leads the league with a batting average hovering over .400, peaking at .420 earlier in the week, according to Forbes. He also racked up 27 stolen bases in just the first six weeks of the season.
The rapid ascent comes down to a fundamental swing change. Cox started the 2026 campaign batting ninth as a secondary leadoff option, relying mostly on bunting and raw speed. He recently retooled his approach to drive the ball to the opposite field and occasionally hunt for power. That adjustment forced management to permanently move him into the primary leadoff spot.
The Giants snagged Cox on February 2, 2024, in a trade that sent veteran pitcher Ross Stripling and cash to the Oakland Athletics. Oakland originally drafted him in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Oral Roberts University. He already has a history of high-volume offensive production. During his final college season, Cox put together a 47-game hitting streak, tied for the third-longest in NCAA Division I history. He also brings big league bloodlines as the son of former MLB player Darron Cox.