Giants Change Course, Promote Star Prospect Buster Posey

Buster Posey is headed to The Show after all.

Two weeks after San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean indicated they had no plans to promote last year's first-round draft pick, the club did an about-face and summoned Posey Tuesday night, FanHouse confirmed. Posey is scheduled to be in uniform Wednesday night in Philadelphia when the Giants meet the Phillies.

The Giants lost Tuesday's series opener by a 1-0 score and couldn't figure out Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels, who stifled San Francisco's lineup with a two-hit shutout and nine strikeouts. The Giants fell one game behind Colorado for the top spot in the NL Wild Card race. San Francisco entered this series fresh off a three-game sweep of the Rockies.

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After hitting .328 in 34 games last season in four leagues - rookie-level Arizona League, short-season Northwest League, the Class-A California League and Hawaiian Winter League - Posey hit .326 with 13 home runs, 23 doubles and 58 RBIs in 80 games this season with Class-A San Jose.

Since joining Triple-A Fresno, Posey had a .321 average with five homers and 22 RBIs in 35 games. Posey was announced in Fresno's starting lineup Tuesday at Las Vegas but was replaced before the game started.

The Giants find themselves in an interesting situation. Not only Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy in the final year of their deals, but starting catcher and cleanup hitter Bengie Molina is going to be a free agent at season's end.

Molina also has missed seven consecutive games with a strained upper right quad. He struck out as a pinch hitter Tuesday and said he could have remained in the game if the Giants forced a bottom of the ninth inning.

Starting catcher Eli Whiteside went hitless and allowed three passed balls.

Posey, 22, who won last year's Golden Spikes Award as the country's top amateur player before the Giants drafted him fifth overall out of Florida State, received a team record $6.2 million bonus. Posey married his high school sweetheart, Kristin, in their hometown of Leesburg, Ga, in January. Kristin and Posey's parents quickly packed Wednesday morning to fly from Georgia to Pennsylvania.

Posey was scheduled to remain in Fresno, Calif., following the end of the minor-league season in order to be prepared if promoted to the Giants.