San Francisco Giants Move Young Star Back to Injured List After MRI

The San Francisco Giants will have to do without their young star backstop for at least a week after suffering another injury.

Jul 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (14) connects for a two-RBI double against the Colorado Rockies during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants placed catcher Patrick Bailey on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain, per the team.

To take his place, the Giants recalled Jakson Reetz from Triple-A Sacramento to take the open roster spot. Until Bailey returns, Curt Casali will be the starting catcher.

San Francisco entered Tuesday’s action one game above .500 and were 3.5 back of the final Wild Card berth. Bailey’s injury comes at a critical time as they try to surge towards earning a final playoff spot.

His year at the plate is nearly identical to that of his first season in the Majors. In 96 games he’s batted .233/.299/.344/.643 with seven home runs and 38 RBI.

In 2023, his rookie season, he slashed .233/.285/.359/.644 with seven home runs and 48 RBI.

The 25-year-old’s value this season has been in his ability to thwart the running game, something that has become more important since new rules were put in place to limit pickoffs and enlarge the bases before last year.

Bailey has a 30.4 percent caught stealing rate and leads all catchers in defensive runs saved this season.

The IL move is retroactive to Monday. He was a late scratch for that game after he left Sunday’s contest with tightness in his right side. Bailey had an MRI on Tuesday.

This is his third trip to the injured list this season. On May 4 the Giants moved him to the 7-day concussion IL after he took a direct shot from a foul ball off his facemask during a game. San Francisco activated him on May 11. But, three days later, they had to move him back to that list with a setback and he returned on May 21.

Earlier this season, Bailey became the first catcher in Major League history to turn a double play, catch a shutout and hit a walk-off home run in the same game.

Bailey suffered a concussion last season when he had a collision with Jeimer Candelario on a play at home plate. That landed him on the concussion list and he now wears a Q-collar, an FDA-approved concussion prevention device that gently compresses the neck to keep more blood volume inside the head.

Bailey was the Giants’ first-round pick in 2020 out of North Carolina State. After two full seasons in the minor leagues, he made his MLB debut in 2023 and played well enough to finish seventh in National League Rookie of the Year voting.