The SF Giants do not really have any options with a struggling Daniel Susac

Daniel Susac got off to an incredible start to his career, but he has struggled over the past couple of months. Though, there is no real move for the SF Giants to make.

The Giants acquired Susac in the offseason in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. He had been selected away from the A's in the Rule 5 draft and is still bound to those rules. This means that he needs to remain on the active roster, or else be offered back to the A's.

The right-handed bat notched 11 hits in 23 at-bats to start his major league career. While this was happening, Eric Haase got off to a strong start, and Jesús Rodríguez's bat showed some promise. This motivated the Giants to ship Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians.

The Giants wanted to get more offense into the lineup from the catcher position, and it was clear that Bailey would not be able to offer that. Teams often will accept below-average offense from a strong defensive catcher, but the Giants went against the grain in that regard. It is fair to say that this may have been a short-sighted evaluation, as Susac has slumped since then and Rodríguez has struggled behind the plate. They received a compensatory pick to select Carson Bolemon, so this could pay off down the road.

For the past couple of seasons, Bailey had been their solution at catcher. Now, they may not have a solution at catcher on the roster. Susac has posted a .487 OPS in 106 plate appearances since his incredible start. In fairness, he also had two stints on the injured list while this has been going on.

With no clear alternatives, the SF Giants have no move to make with Daniel Susac

Overall, the rookie backstop is hitting .250/.297/.319 (73 wRC+) with zero home runs, 15 RBI, and six runs in 130 plate appearances. This includes a 4.6 percent walk rate, 23.1 percent strikeout rate, and .069 ISO.

Susac is an aggressive hitter, so the walk rate is likely always going to be low. That was a trait that the A's wanted him to work on during his time in the organization. He is also not showing much in the way of raw power. His bat speed (68.8 MPH) and average exit velocity (86.3 MPH) are both well below-average raw power indicators. So, while he is not hitting for much power, there is not much to suggest currently that there is much power upside in his bat.

Typically, when a Rule 5 player struggles, they get offered back to the original organization. The Giants likely cannot make that move unless they add catching depth. The catching depth in the upper minors is extremely thin, with Adrián Sugastey likely being the most capable defender available. That said, he would offer little offensive value.

The active roster consists of Susac, Jesús Rodríguez, and Drew Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh has looked like a capable backstop in a limited showing. His at-bat quality has been the best by far from that group. The overall results have not been much better.

Rodríguez has put up the best offensive numbers. This includes a .713 OPS in 51 plate appearances. However, the Giants are hesitant to use him behind the plate because he still has a ways to go before he can be a passable major league catcher.

If the Giants parted ways with Susac, it would mean a more prominent role for Rodríguez. It just does not seem like they are interested in doing that. So, their only move might be to ride this out and hope that Susac can put together a better second half.

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