WEST SACRAMENTO -- Daniel Susac has plenty of fond memories at Sutter Health Park.
A native of nearby Roseville, Susac grew up attending River Cats games as a kid -- and he often requested that his birthday parties be held here.
Just one day after his 25th birthday, the Giants' No. 21 prospect got to return to the same field for the first time as a big leaguer.
The Giants’ rookie catcher was activated off the 10-day injured list on Friday after missing 22 games with right elbow neuritis, allowing him to start behind the plate against the A’s -- his former organization -- in a 5-2 series-opening loss in West Sacramento. Seldom-used infielder Christian Koss was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move.
“It’s definitely an interesting scenario,” Susac said of getting to play Major League games so close to home. “I never thought when I was a kid going to River Cats games for my birthday parties that it would be hosting big league games. But it’s pretty cool to see.”
Susac said he expected to have 20 to 30 friends and family members in the stands on Friday, including his dad, his uncle and his two brothers. There will be plenty of familiar faces in the opposing dugout for him, as well.
Susac was selected by the A’s in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but he ended up being taken by the Twins in the Rule 5 Draft in December and then immediately traded to the Giants in exchange for catching prospect Miguel Caraballo and cash considerations.
Susac won the backup catcher job for the Giants out of Spring Training and was beginning to earn starts over the struggling Patrick Bailey after batting .478 (11-for-23) with a 1.152 OPS over his first 11 games of the year. He hit a setback when he landed on the IL with the elbow injury on April 21, but he should have a chance to establish himself as San Francisco’s primary catcher now that Bailey has been traded to the Guardians.
“I’ve just got to go prove it now,” Susac said. “I think when they took me in the Rule 5, the biggest goal of mine was to make them look right. That’s the goal every day, just to keep playing my best.”
Manager Tony Vitello stopped short of naming Susac the Giants’ No. 1 catcher, noting that the club also plans to incorporate veteran Eric Haase and fellow rookie Jesus Rodriguez into the catching mix moving forward.
“I don't think we're assuming anything at this point,” Vitello said. “I think in a long season, a really fun lineup -- which I think we all know we have the potential to have -- is when you don't know who your No. 1 guy is. It depends on the night.
“I think the one thing that we would hone in on, why you would be excited about Susac coming back is his attitude and the way he approaches the game. He’s a ballplayer. He’s a dirtbag. Behind the plate, he can really, really throw. Whether it’s from his knees or a regular throw, he kind of shuts that down probably better than anybody to this point. But also, he’s done a good job of handling the staff. And then Jesus and Haase, the one thing we keep scratching and clawing for is just that competitive, gritty at-bat, mixed in with maybe an explosive at-bat.”
Susac finished 0-for-4 in his first MLB game since April 19, but he showed off his plus-arm by throwing out A’s No. 5 prospect Henry Bolte -- his good friend and former Minor League roommate -- on an attempted steal of second base in the bottom of the fourth.
Susac said it took a couple of weeks for the inflammation in his elbow to die down, but he feels comfortable throwing again and had no issues catching back-to-back games during his rehab assignment with Sacramento earlier this week. The injury certainly didn’t hamper Susac at the plate, as he went 9-for-17 (.529) over five rehab games.
By keeping three catchers on their 26-man roster, the Giants were forced to option Koss, who emerged as a valuable bench piece in 2025 but found himself buried in the crowded infield depth chart this year. He logged only 15 plate appearances over the first 44 games of the year, prompting the Giants to send him out so he can get regular at-bats with Sacramento.
“It’s never exciting news, but that’s one of those that’s almost a relief,” Vitello said. “I take the blame. You can look at other circumstances, we just never got him into a rhythm of playing ball."