San Francisco Giants Add Veteran Catcher To Active Roster

San Francisco Giants Sign Catcher Curt Casali

Casali previously joined the Giants midway through the 2021 season and stayed on through 2022. The Vanderbilt product is a career .220/.314/.380 hitter but has provided value as a backup catcher with a solid glove.

At 35, a backup role suits Casali best. However, San Francisco might need him to play a lot with their top two options out. The Giants announced that they signed Casali on Wednesday, and he was in the starting lineup that night. He even recorded the team’s first hit of the night and scored on a Mike Yastrzemski homer.

While Casali will make his season debut on Wednesday, he should be in game shape. The California-native signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins this winter but failed to make the Opening Day roster. After his release from Miami, Casali signed with the Chicago Cubs and has spent the past six weeks in Triple-A.

Giants Demote Jakson Reetz

When the Giants signed Casali, the team sent Jackson Reetz to the minors. Reetz, 28, simply isn’t a major leaguer but was in the majors out of desperation. The Giants needed another body after Murphy went down, and Reetz represented the next name on the depth chart.

He made 12 plate appearances in five games and hit just .083/.083/.333. He recorded just one hit, although he’s likely proud that it was his first career home run.

With Reetz back in the minors, Blake Sabol will split playing time with Casali in the majors. As a Rule 5 pick, Sabol needed to stay on the active roster all season long last year to remain in the Giants organization. He did just that and even held his own. The lefty saw time at catcher and left field and hit .235/.301/.394. Though his 92 OPS+ means his production was 8 percent below average, it was good enough for a rookie providing that much defensive value.

In 29 plate appearances in the majors this season, Sabol has hit .375/.483/.458 while making solid contact. At first glance, it seems the Giants will likely platoon Casali and Sabol until either one of them earns more playing time or until Bailey returns from his concussion issues. That said, the Giants are desperate for offense and recently lost two lefty outfielders due to injury. Sabol will have an opportunity to claim a permanent spot in the lineup if he continues to hit, even when Bailey returns.