SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants’ catching depth took a major blow Monday after rookie catcher Daniel Susac landed on the 10-day injured list with a left knee patellar fracture.
Susac was scheduled to meet with team doctors on Monday evening to determine a prognosis, but the injury seems likely to put the rest of his season in doubt.
The Giants replaced Susac by selecting Zach Morgan from Triple-A Sacramento prior to Monday night’s series opener against the Astros, giving them a second catcher behind Drew Cavanaugh.
Susac suffered the setback after fouling a ball directly off his left kneecap in the bottom of the fifth inning of the Giants’ 3-1 loss to the Tigers on Sunday. Susac immediately grimaced in pain, though he stayed in the game for another two innings before he was replaced by Cavanaugh in the seventh.
The Giants thought they had avoided the worst after Susac’s X-rays came back negative on Sunday, but an MRI exam subsequently revealed the fracture on Monday.
“It's not surprising,” manager Tony Vitello said. “It kind of went from a high to a low because the X-ray didn't pick up anything. We did the MRI to be sure, and there's definitely something there. Again, it's not a surprise. He was in a lot of pain. [Team trainer Anthony Reyes] was out there with him for a while, but it's unfortunate for him, for sure.”
Susac’s injury will leave the 24-year-old Cavanaugh as the Giants’ primary catcher for now, though Vitello said the club is working on acquiring a more experienced option to help shoulder the workload down the stretch. The Giants are also without Jesus Rodriguez, who remains on rehab only after landing on the IL with right elbow neuritis on Aug. 1.
A first-round Draft pick of the A’s in 2022, Susac was selected by the Twins in the Rule 5 Draft in December before he was immediately flipped to the Giants in exchange for catching prospect Miguel Caraballo and cash considerations.
Susac, the younger brother of former Giants catcher Andrew Susac, went on to earn a spot on San Francisco’s Opening Day roster as the No. 2 catcher behind two-time Gold Glove winner Patrick Bailey.
The Roseville, Calif., native hit an eye-popping .478 with a 1.152 OPS over his first 11 games of the year, which influenced the Giants’ decision to trade Bailey to the Guardians in early May.
Still, Susac’s production tailed off a bit after he was shelved with right elbow neuritis and a low back strain earlier this year. He hit .243 with a .664 OPS and three home runs over 53 games for the Giants, though he graded out well defensively behind the plate, tying for fifth among Major League catchers with a +8 fielding run value this year.
“I think it was a huge growth here,” Vitello said. “Obviously, you want him to develop, but if you just took him as he is now, he’s a pretty damn good catcher.”
Morgan, 26, hails from nearby Stockton, Calif, and was a seventh-round Draft pick of the Giants in 2022. The right-handed hitter was batting .269 with a .739 OPS and two home runs over 38 games between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento this year.
Latest on Chapman
The Giants also announced Monday that third baseman Matt Chapman will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a core muscle injury with Dr. William Meyer in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Chapman, 33, hasn’t played since June 30 and had been anticipating this outcome since last week.
With Chapman unavailable, the Giants have been leaning on Christian Koss and Osleivis Basabe to fill in at third base. Top Trade Deadline acquisition Marcelo Mayer could also get some looks there once he completes his rehab from a bone stress reaction in his left ulna.