SF Giants solidify catching depth by promoting Andrew Knapp

With Joey Bart on the concussion-IL, the SF Giants added a six-year MLB veteran to their active roster. They designated LHP Andrew Vasquez for assignment.
SF Giants solidify catching depth by promoting Andrew Knapp
SF Giants solidify catching depth by promoting Andrew Knapp /
In this story:

The SF Giants added catcher Andrew Knapp to their active roster on Wednesday, optioning Yermín Mercedes to Triple-A (although with rosters expanding from 26 to 28 on September 1st, Mercedes could rejoin the team on Thursday). To create space on the 40-man roster for Knapp, they designated left-handed pitcher Andrew Vasquez for assignment. The move provides manager Gabe Kapler a second option at catcher alongside Austin Wynns. Wynns has been the only active catcher since San Francisco placed Bart on the 7-day concussion-related injured list on Tuesday.

Knapp has appeared in each of the previous six MLB seasons, hitting .209/.309/.314 with 13 home runs in 866 plate appearances. Knapp has already appeared in 13 big-league games this season between stints with the Pirates and Mariners. He has struggled mightily, though, posting a measly .114/.205/.143 triple-slash.

Knapp is a switch-hitter but has consistently performed better against right-handed pitchers than southpaws. He also has excelled at Triple-A since joining the Giants organization. In 25 games with the Sacramento River Cats, Knapp has blasted 8 home runs and has a .312/.373/.634 triple-slash with 7 walks and 23 strikeouts in 102 plate appearances. While it's hard to imagine Knapp bringing anything close to that level of production to the bigs, it's a notable showing given how poorly Wynns has faired at the plate this season, hitting .221/.288/.292 in 126 plate appearances with the Giants.

The Giants claimed Vasquez off waivers from the Phillies earlier in August. Vasquez was very effective in his four appearances at Triple-A Sacramento. He did not surrender a hit or walk across 3.1 innings pitched while racking up 6 strikeouts. Vasquez has been excellent all year at Triple-A but was cuffed in his lone big-league stint with the Blue Jays. If he clears waivers, the Giants may be able to keep him in their minor-league system.

Bart could return from the injured list as soon as next week, although concussions always have the most unpredictable return timetables of any injury. Still, even if Bart does return, the SF Giants might want to keep Wynns and Knapp around to lessen Bart's catching burden down the stretch. If not though, both Wynns and the 30-year-old Knapp are out of options, which could make for a small competition for the backup catching job while Bart is out.


Published
Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).