San Francisco Giants Recall Star Prospect, Catching Depth

After a quiet trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants make more internal moves.

May 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Marco Luciano (37) throws to first base after recording an out at second base against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Trade Deadline has come and gone, and the San Francisco Giants were pretty quiet. Trading away Jorge Soler and Alex Cobb while acquiring Mark Cahna from the Detroit Tigers, they didn't make any huge moves while also keeping Blake Snell. After the deadline passed, the team announced that they recalled both infielder Marco Luciano and catcher Blake Sabol.

NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic said after the Soler trade that the Giants wanted to get more at-bats for Luciano, who had been crushing the ball at Triple-A. Luciano spent 10 games with San Francisco this season, posting a .986 OPS with two doubles and a triple before being hurt and sent back down.

In July, Luciano has slashed .270/.413/.514 with a .927 OPS, six home runs and 13 RBI for Sacramento. He had just one home run before being called up in May, so the 22-year-old seems to have found his power.

With Soler gone, Luciano will likely see a lot of at-bats in the DH role. He struggled defensively at shortstop in the big leagues, and had played second base in his latest minor league stint, but with both Tyler Fitzgerald and Brett Wisely earning playing time, he won't see the field much.

The Giants also recalled Blake Sabol from Triple-A, who spent the entirety of 2023 with the team but has only played 11 big league games in 2024. He posted a .796 OPS with the Giants, and has hit .245 with five home runs in 64 games for Sacramento. Sabol will provide some catching depth behind Patrick Bailey and Curt Casali as well as play some innings in the outfield.

San Francisco didn't do a lot to change the big league team in terms of trades, but giving Luciano more at-bats is something they planned on doing before the season. With Soler gone, the DH spot is his.