The Giants lost Patrick Bailey to the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, because of a right oblique strain, per a team announcement. San Francisco recalled Jakson Reetz from Triple-A Sacramento to take the open roster spot. Reetz will back up Curt Casali behind the plate for as long as Bailey is on the shelf.
That’ll be a significant blow defensively. Bailey is arguably the best defensive catcher in the majors. He has neutralized the running game with a 30.4% caught stealing rate. Statcast also grades him as a top-tier pitch framer. Bailey leads catchers in Defensive Runs Saved both this season and dating back to his MLB debut last year.
The former first-round pick has had a less consistent offensive track record. Despite showing flashes of promise at the plate, he’s a career .233/.292/.351 hitter. Bailey looked as if he’d turned a corner at the plate early in the year. He carried a .283/.354/.430 slash into the All-Star break. He has fallen into a tailspin over the past few weeks, running a .115/.157/.135 line with a spike in ground-balls in the second half.
Recent slump aside, Bailey remains the Giants’ clear No. 1 option behind the dish. That job temporarily falls to Casali, who has only picked up 82 plate appearances in 24 games this season. He’s hitting .200/.309/.229 without a home run. Casali draws plenty of walks but doesn’t provide much else in the way of offense. The Giants trail the Braves by 3.5 games for the National League’s last playoff spot going into Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox.