SF Giants pass over exciting young prospect to replace injured Daniel Susac

The Daniel Susac Fan Club, a group that seemingly grows bigger by the day as the catcher continues to rake to start his big league career, was dealt a big blow on Tuesday as Susac went on the 10-day IL with a right elbow issue. Oddly, the Giants decided to call up Eric Haase over exciting young prospect Jesus Rodriguez who has been tearing it up in Triple-A Sacramento.

Haase is a proven veteran who has played in the big leagues for at least part of every season since 2018. That experience is valuable, but given the fact that the Giants still have Patrick Bailey on the roster they could have afforded to go with a bat-first option like Rodriguez.

SF Giants could have called up Rodriguez over Haase

The 23-year-old, who was acquired in the Camilo Doval trade with the New York Yankees last season, is hitting .344/.408/.492 with two home runs and nine runs batted in Sacramento. For a Giants team in need of offense, that’s probably a better guy to have on the roster than Hasse who, while certainly a better defender behind the plate, is hitting a respectable but not jaw-dropping .250/.300/.472 with two homers and eight runs driven in.

The main concern must have to do with Rodriguez’s defense. He is a catcher, but he’s also a utility guy and the Giants used him at second base sometimes during spring training. He’s also seen time in left field for Sacramento this season. He’s clearly got more upside offensively over Haase who has a career slash line of .228/.278/.396 at the big league level.

The Giants are being practical because the last thing they want if Bailey goes down is to not have a reliable backup. Rodriguez is probably close to being reliable enough, but for now the veteran Hasse gets the nod. Expect to see Rodriguez soon if he keeps on swinging a hot bat, though. Manager Tony Vitello told reporters ahead of Tuesday's game that Rodriguez's time is coming.

The Susac news is really unfortunate because he has been a secret weapon for the Giants this season. He’s hitting .478/.500/.652 with two doubles, a triple, and five runs batted in. It's that torrid start to his big league career that has led so many fans, broadcasters, and former players, to demand he get more playing time.

Manager Tony Vitello finally relented and said Susac and Bailey would probably split time at catcher but the injury obviously throws a wrench in that.

Susac is expected to miss two to three weeks, but hopefully he can get back as soon as possible because he has been one of the few bright spots so far for San Francisco. Keep an eye on Rodriguez as well because he may be due for a promotion and will likely make his big league debut at some point this season. 

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