SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants’ catching corps took a hit Friday when rookie Daniel Susac was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain.
Susac’s setback created an opening for the Giants to take a look at fast-rising catching prospect Drew Cavanaugh, who was selected from Triple-A Sacramento prior to the club’s 3-1 series-opening loss to the Braves at Oracle Park. Right-hander Wilkin Ramos was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Cavanaugh on the 40-man roster.
A 17th-round Draft pick of the Giants in 2023, Cavanaugh batted .311 with a .999 OPS and nine home runs over 54 games between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento before earning his first big league callup.
“It’s definitely a lot of emotions and a lot of exciting ones,” Cavanaugh said before the game. “The nerves set in a little bit more when I walked in. But I would say it’s more excitement than nerves. It’s my dream coming true, so it’s awesome.”
Cavanaugh, 24, started behind the plate and batted eighth in his Major League debut on Friday, ripping a single to right field off Braves right-hander Hurston Waldrep for his first career hit in the bottom of the fifth.
“It felt great,” Cavanaugh said. “I hit it and then I saw it was going to go through. Everything after that was pretty much a blur. But what a moment. All those years, practicing and playing for that moment. It was a surreal moment.”
Cavanaugh’s milestone hit drew massive cheers from his parents, Tom and Julie, and his two brothers, Rick and Tommy, all of whom hail from Michigan and flew to San Francisco to be in the stands for the debut. Cavanaugh said he planned to give his first-hit ball to his mom.
“She deserves it,” Cavanaugh said. “She’s always been there supporting me. Good games, bad games, she’s my rock.”
Cavanaugh also drew a leadoff walk in the seventh, though it wasn’t enough to spark the Giants’ offense, which was held to only a first-inning RBI double by Rafael Devers and finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The Giants also had the versatile Jesus Rodriguez on their 40-man roster, but they felt the left-handed-hitting Cavanaugh was ready for an opportunity after ranking fourth in OPS (1.016) among all Triple-A hitters with at least 130 plate appearances this year.
“At the plate as a hitter, I thought he looked comfortable,” manager Tony Vitello said. “Obviously, he was productive, too, but he took confident swings. You didn’t see anything out of place. He wasn’t out of control or anything like that. I’d like to give him a resounding compliment on the catching side of things -- you didn’t notice him. … You didn’t realize that he’d just gotten here this morning and he was back there, if that makes sense. That’s not a vote for him for the All-Star team or anything like that, but I think it speaks to how good he was back there.”
Cavanaugh had previous experience catching right-hander Trevor McDonald, who gave up three runs over 5 1/3 innings in his start against the Braves on Friday, but he knows he’ll have some work to do to get up to speed on the rest of the Giants’ pitching staff.
“I think [it’s just] building the trust with the staff, the starters and the relievers, especially,” Cavanaugh said. “Just getting to know those guys and seeing what they like to do on the field. Just getting to know them as people, as well, is really important. I think building those relationships is important.”
Susac was forced to exit Thursday’s 9-6 loss to the A’s in the sixth inning due to back tightness, but Vitello said the Giants are hoping the Rule 5 Draft pick will be able to return after spending the minimum time on the IL.
“He’s in good spirits today,” Vitello said. “The one thing I told him was just a pretty courageous effort to get through [Thursday’s game]. We were trying to get through [starter Landen] Roupp, and [head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner] kept checking in with him every inning. He battled through that, but he was nowhere close to moving around to full function today.”
Susac, 25, took over as San Francisco’s primary catcher following the departure of two-time Gold Glove winner Patrick Bailey, who was traded to the Guardians on May 9. Susac batted .262 with a .640 OPS over 37 games, though he also emerged as a capable defender behind the plate, ranking sixth among Major League catchers with a +5 fielding run value.
Friday marked Susac’s second IL stint of the season, as he also missed 22 games with right elbow neuritis in late April and early May.