Blake Sabol must step up after top two SF Giants catchers get injured

The SF Giants have had bad luck with their catchers the past two days. On back to back games in Philadelphia, the Giants lost their top two catchers to injury. Now, Blake Sabol must step up and fill in for them.

Blake Sabol must step up after top two SF Giants catchers get injured

On Friday night against the Phillies, Patrick Bailey got his bell rung on a foul tip while he was playing catcher. It hit him directly in the mask and while he stayed in the game, he had to exit later when he was backing up a play at first and his vision got blurry.

Concussions are always a scary thing, so the Giants did the right this and placed Bailey on the concussion IL. Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming said that Bailey's symptoms were better on Saturday so that is a good sign, but we will have to wait and see how long it will take to get Bailey back on the field.

Tom Murphy came in to replace him. While Murphy has not hit well and has been questionable defensively, he is a veteran who seemed like he could competently fill in for Bailey for the next week or so.

Unfortunately, in Saturday night's rain soaked game Murphy sustained a knee injury while trying to get to a ball that had gotten away from him. Murphy said after the game that he believes the rainy and slick conditions played a major role in his injury. He is set to have an MRI tomorrow so we will have to wait and see the extent of his injury.

Now, the Giants are faced with a next man up situation. That next man is Blake Sabol. Sabol had an impressive 2023 as a rookie when he slashed .235/.301/.394 with 13 homers and 44 RBI. His defense was not as impressive, but he put in work this offseason to improve at the catcher position.

The Giants are likely going to need him for the next week, perhaps even longer depending on the severity of Murphy's injury. He could wind up being the backup catcher to Bailey if Murphy is out for an extended period.

The Giants probably felt pretty strong about their catcher situation coming into the year, but these injuries are going to put the team's depth to the test as they try to get back on track.