SF Giants Player Review 2026: Drew Cavanaugh climbed from Double-A to the majors

As gloomy and depressing as injuries are to a franchise and its fans, they can also act as catalysts for inspiring stories. SF Giants fans, in their misery, at least got to witness a few of those last season. Today, in our latest edition of the SF Giants Player Review 2026, we'll be looking back on Drew Cavanaugh's journey. He was one of eight players to start the year in Double-A or lower and reach the majors. Can you name the other seven?

A 17th-round pick out of Florida Southern the Giants signed for just $50,000 back in 2023, Cavanaugh went from being left out of spring training to starting his season in Double-A Richmond to now having a legitimate shot at being a part of next year's team. In hindsight, it probably wouldn't have been possible — or not as quickly — without the continuous and long trips to the injured list. Thank you, injuries, I guess.

Cavanaugh went from Richmond to Oracle Park in just a few months

As I mentioned, Cavanaugh, 24, didn't take part in the Giants' spring training, but did participate in their Spring Breakout game against the Cincinnati Reds' prospects on March 19, going 0-for-1 with a walk in the Giants' 10-1 loss to the Reds.

His season did start in Richmond with the Flying Squirrels, though he actually didn't stay there for long. After posting a .279 batting average and .971 OPS across 22 games in Double-A, Cavanaugh was promoted to Triple-A on May 12. It wasn't his first stint with the River Cats, as he appeared in nine games with them in 2024 and 14 in 2025. Sacramento needed help, so they dialed up his number. Cavanaugh answered the call and, once again, didn't spend a lot of time at that level — not even two months, to be precise.

Because of Daniel Susac's injury and his excellent performances with the River Cats — he batted .330 with a 1.016 OPS and six home runs over 32 Triple-A games — Cavanaugh was given a sooner-than-expected opportunity to join the big guys. To make room on the 40-man, the Giants designated reliever Wilkin Ramos for assignment on June 26 and called up Cavanaugh that same day. A few hours later at Oracle Park, Cavanaugh became Florida Southern's 13th former player to reach the major leagues and its first to debut in the squat. Cavanaugh went 1-for-3 with a walk against the Braves that day.

For a few weeks, Cavanaugh played almost every day. But then, on July 17, Susac came off the injured list. Instead of optioning Cavanaugh back to Sacramento, the Giants decided to once again designate for assignment their other catcher, this time veteran Eric Haase, and commit to a young catching group composed of Susac, Cavanaugh, and Jesus Rodriguez.

When Susac hit the injured list for the third and final time on August 10 due to a fractured kneecap, Cavanaugh was again thrust into a bigger role. But he struggled with the bat. Across his 19 outings in August, Cavanaugh collected just 11 hits in 58 plate appearances, a .208 batting average, and posted a meager .502 OPS. August would eventually end up as his weakest full month offensively.

But now as the main option behind the plate following Susac's season-ending injury — the Giants signed Andrew Knizner for backup duties — Cavanaugh continued to log plate appearance after plate appearance. Eventually, his power surfaced. He hit his first major-league home run against the San Diego Padres on September 12 at Oracle Park. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 26, he went 2-for-2 with a double and a triple. September was his most productive month: a .238 batting average and .718 OPS. Not too shabby for a guy that entered the year with just over 20 games of experience at the Triple-A level.

Defensively, Cavanaugh still needs to improve. Over his 373 2/3 innings across 52 appearances behind the plate, he logged -3 catching runs, -4 framing, and +1 blocking. He did post a promising pop time to second base at 1.88 seconds — the MLB average is at 1.94.

As of today, before the huge roster crunch that is expected to take place over the next couple of weeks, Cavanaugh remains on the 40-man roster. The Giants have different routes they can take with Cavanaugh. They could decide to send him back to Sacramento, as Cavanaugh still has all three of his minor-league option years available, or they could commit to that young catching corps of Cavanaugh, Susac, and Rodriguez, using the latter as a super-utility player.

Whatever uniform he ends up wearing when next season gets underway, Cavanaugh's big-league story is just getting started.

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