The San Francisco Giants have put catcher Patrick Bailey on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain, according to the team.
Jakson Reetz has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to fill the roster spot left by Bailey. In the meantime, Curt Casali will serve as the starting catcher.
As of Tuesday, the Giants were just above .500 and 3.5 games behind the final Wild Card spot. Bailey’s injury is particularly significant as the team strives to secure a playoff position.
His performance at the plate this year is almost identical to his rookie season. In 96 games, he has posted a .233/.299/.344/.643 slash line with seven home runs and 38 RBIs.
In 2023, his first season in the Majors, he had a .233/.285/.359/.644 line with seven home runs and 48 RBIs.
The 25-year-old has been particularly valuable this season due to his effectiveness in controlling the running game, a skill that has become increasingly important with the new rules introduced last year to limit pickoffs and increase base sizes.
Bailey has a 30.4 percent caught stealing rate and leads all catchers in defensive runs saved this season.
His move to the injured list is retroactive to Monday. He was a late scratch for that game after leaving Sunday’s game with tightness in his right side. Bailey underwent an MRI on Tuesday.
This marks Patrick Bailey’s third stint on the injured list this season. On May 4, the Giants placed him on the 7-day concussion IL after he was hit in the face mask by a foul ball. He was activated on May 11, but had to return to the list just three days later due to a setback, ultimately coming back on May 21.
Earlier in the season, Bailey made history as the first catcher in Major League Baseball to record a double play, catch a shutout, and hit a walk-off home run in the same game.
Last season, he sustained a concussion from a collision with Jeimer Candelario at home plate, which also put him on the concussion list. To help prevent future concussions, he now wears a Q-collar, an FDA-approved device that compresses the neck to maintain blood volume in the head.
Bailey was the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2020 out of North Carolina State. After spending two full seasons in the minor leagues, he made his MLB debut in 2023 and performed well enough to finish seventh in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
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