The Giants never anticipated Roberto Pérez to be their everyday, squat-every-five-days, catcher. But they were hoping that 2023 would bring better health luck to the 34-year-old veteran.
Just seven games into the season, though, Pérez was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right rotator cuff strain. He injured his throwing shoulder trying to catch Kyle Isbel stealing in the sixth inning of San Francisco’s home opener.
“We feel bad for Roberto, obviously,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “He worked so hard to get to this point. It’s hard for our club to replace his veteran presence. Challenging for our club to deal with his absence behind the plate. He’s been a great teammate for all of us. Significant enough to put him on the 60 immediately. Disappointing for the organization and also for Roberto. Feel for him.”
Pérez, the two-time Gold Glover, played just 65 games over the past two seasons due to hamstring and finger injuries. He’s also missed time since 2020 with multiple shoulder strains.
Without Pérez, the Giants selected Austin Wynns from Sacramento. He and Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol are currently the only two catchers on the 26-man roster.
But that won’t be the case for long. Joey Bart (mild back strain) packed his bags for Sacramento on Saturday morning to begin a rehab assignment immediately. Gary Sánchez, who signed a minor league deal, is DH-ing in Sacramento Saturday and catching Sunday.
“Sánchez isn’t quite ready to be an option for us yet,” Kapler said.
Bart is confident he’ll be ready to return to the Giants on April 10, when he’s eligible to come off the IL.
“Ready to get back in there,” Bart told KNBR. “Catch a little bit, see some pitches, then you’re ready to rock and roll.”
Sabol is starting behind the dish Saturday against Kansas City. He’ll represent half of what’s believed to be the first Samoan battery in Major League Baseball history, with Sean Manaea.
But Sabol is still learning the position at the big-league level and may struggle controlling the running game. He doesn’t have nearly the same experience as Pérez, or even Sánchez.
“The game is slowed down,” starter Alex Cobb said of Pérez after his April 7 start. “He sees things — he’s seen it all out there. You can’t replace reps. We’re going to try to get Sabol up to speed in the big leagues, but he hasn’t seen what Bebo’s seen back there. The game, there’s just instincts of the game you can’t really teach. It’s only on-the-job training.”
Wynns was always the most logical candidate to be brought up in a pinch. During the spring, he posted a .965 OPS and has always been trustworthy; the Giants know exactly what they’re going to get with the veteran.
Wynns became a favorite receiver for Carlos Rodón and some other starters down the stretch of the 2022 season. The Giants could start him against upcoming left-handed starters they’re projected to face.
But the Giants needed to put Pérez on the 60-day IL to make a roster spot for Wynns, who was outrighted off the 40-man roster. That means they’ll need to make another tough roster move — potentially even involving Wynns himself — to add Sánchez to the team when he’s ready.
Wynns is in San Francisco and should be available off the bench.
“I understand why we’re going to look at the other options, but Wynns did a tremendous job for us last year,” Kapler said.