Before Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, the San Francisco Giants placed catcher Patrick Bailey on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique muscle. In a related move, the Giants will recall backstop Jakson Reetz from Triple-A Sacramento.
#SFGiants Squad changes:
– C Jakson Reetz recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
– C Patrick Bailey was placed on the 10-day injured list (effective August 19) due to a strain of the right oblique abdominal muscle.— SF Giants (@SFGiants) 21 August 2024
SF Giants place Patrick Bailey on injured list
Bailey injured his obliques during pregame practice in the batting cage on Monday. The 25-year-old was trying to improve his swing after hitting just three in August. Bailey did not play on Monday after reporting tightness in his side after practicing in the cage.
Patrick Bailey has been one of the worst offensive players in baseball over the last month+ What the hell happened to him?? It can’t be fatigue pic.twitter.com/YF2OB5AM5V
— THEGODFRESCO 🏁 (@GSDOUBLEU) 20 August 2024
Manager Bob Melvin told reporters that the team hoped Bailey would return on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the Giants had no choice but to place Bailey on the injured list after an MRI on Tuesday revealed the extent of the injury.
Despite his current struggles, Bailey hit well in the first half and showed some potential. In his first 69 games, he posted a batting average of .283/.354/.430 with seven home runs and 11 doubles. In his next 27 games, however, the switch hitter posted a batting average of .115/.157/.135.
Bailey’s defense will be missed
The loss of Bailey’s defense behind the plate is the worst aspect of his injury for San Francisco. Bailey leads the MLB by throwing out 17 base stealers at second base this year. His caught steal percentage ranks second in the National League by one percentage point.
Patrick Bailey is one of the best pitchers and catchers in baseball and was a lot of fun to watch.
What makes him successful:
▪️Shift your weight to your left leg before catching
▪️quickly places the right foot on the ground
▪️fast transfer
▪️Elite thrower with multiple arm positions/stays athletic while throwing pic.twitter.com/zEtYUYJaVe— Austin Spainhour (@AustinSpainhour) 17 August 2024
Bailey ranks first in the league in Statcast’s Catcher Stealing Runs stat with 5 runs and in the 100th percentile in Catcher’s CS Above Average. These stats and rankings simply mean that Bailey is the best catcher in the sport when it comes to controlling the run game, a skill that is incredibly valuable after rule changes made it easier than ever to steal a base starting in 2023.
Bailey’s defensive strengths go beyond controlling the run game. The former first-round pick leads all catchers in Defensive Runs Saved this season and since his debut last year. In addition, Statcast ranks him as one of the best pitch framers in the league.
Here are 76 seconds of Patrick Bailey stealing strikes for our two aces in recent weeks (according to baseballsavant) because too many people forget how valuable he is #sfgiants pic.twitter.com/3epPoTHALE
– Matthew (@matthewk36711) 19 August 2024
The Giants are only in the running for the postseason thanks to their outstanding pitching staff. Their young catcher is undoubtedly a key part of that unit. With Bailey on the injured list, the Giants will turn to Curt Casali. The 35-year-old is a serviceable backup but shouldn’t be in the starting lineup at this point in his career. There’s a reason the team was able to sign him after Opening Day this year.
Whichever way you look at it, the loss of Bailey is a major blow to San Francisco’s slim chances of making the playoffs.
Photo credit: © Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
