Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernández are two of the top prospects in the SF Giants system at the moment. Senior director of player development Kyle Haines told Justice delos Santos on The Splash Considerations podcast that the pair will begin the year in the Arizona Complex League (ACL).

SF Giants offer clarity on where a pair of top prospects will start the 2026 season

Hat tip to Jesús Cano of Baseball America for sharing this bit of information on social media. Cano has been scouting prospects in Arizona, including the Giants’ minor league camp, so give him a follow.

Speaking of Cano, he reported earlier this month that Hernández was slated to skip the Dominican Summer League. That is a rare occurrence for a prospect in the same year that he signs, but it is also an indicator of how far along the Giants view Hernández’s development.

After the initial report, the door was left slightly ajar for Hernández to skip the ACL as well and go directly to the California League. However, that would have been an extremely aggressive placement for an organization that was relatively conservative with its prospects in 2025.

Hernández and Josuar Gonzalez will get a chance to share the field this summer. Giants fans hope that they can share the field for a long time. There is still a long development path ahead for both of them before that can realistically be in the cards.

The pair of Giants prospects also represent some of the largest investments by the organization through the international channel. Hernández earned a $5 million signing bonus out of Venezuela in January, whereas Gonzalez received a signing bonus for just under $3 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2025.

Gonzalez had a productive season in the DSL last summer. He slashed .288/.404/.455 (129 wRC+) with four home runs, 24 RBI, and 52 runs in 228 plate appearances. This includes 33 steals in 38 chances. After the season, the switch-hitting infielder catapulted up the prospect rankings.

Both Gonzalez and Hernández are viewed as shortstops in the long term, but they may have to split time there this summer. The ACL season is only about 60 games, so there is no lost development if one of them sees more time at second base instead. For what it is worth, I saw
Hernández during the Spring Breakout game, and he looked comfortable at shortstop, especially for someone his age.

Gonzalez and Hernández will begin the season in the ACL, but if either excels, they could reach the San Jose Giants before the end of the season.