SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants suffered a significant blow Tuesday when Patrick Bailey was placed on the injured list, but manager Bob Melvin was confident they won't be without their starting catcher for long.
“It's hard to say, but I'm pretty optimistic he should be ready on Day 10,” Melvin said after the Giants' 4-1 win over the White Sox. “Based on what I'm hearing and how he's feeling. We've been a little cautious on that one.”
Bailey underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on Tuesday, which revealed a strain of the correct oblique abdominal muscle.
After being scratched Monday night but not yet undergoing imaging, Bailey told reporters that the injury felt “very, very minor” and that his absence was “more of a precautionary measure than anything else.”
He first felt problems in his right side after throwing some left-handed shots before Monday's game.
“It wasn't really a particular swing,” he said. “It just kind of tightened up at the end.”
Bailey, the Giants' second most precious player with 3.8 fWAR, is eligible for next Thursday's final road game at Milwaukee, although a 10-day absence can be considered a fast recovery from an oblique strain of any severity. They often have a 4- to 6-week timeline.
“If you go out even one game too early and get injured again,” Melvin said, “it can take a long time.”
Although Bailey has been in a rut on the plate currently, his pitch-framing, play-calling and throwing skills have nonetheless made him one of the beneficial catchers in the game. According to the Statcast metric, which measures throwing, blocking, framing, arm and runs against average, he has collected 19 fielding runs above average, greater than double the next-best catchers, who’ve nine.
In the meantime, the Giants will hand the keys to veteran reliever Curt Casali, who has already contributed to 4 runs from the last spot within the lineup while leading a pitching staff that has allowed a complete of 4 runs after getting used the last two nights.
“(Bailey) is one of those guys that's hard to replace,” Melvin said. “Even if he doesn't swing the bat well, which he does behind the plate. And this year he's hit in the middle of the order for us at times. But Curt is doing a good job right now. He's on a bit of a roll right now. He knows these guys.”
When they placed Bailey on the 10-day IL, the Giants brought in Jakson Reetz from Triple-A Sacramento as their second catcher. But Casali said he expects to catch Logan Webb in Wednesday's matinee. That can be the primary time he starts three straight games since Sept. 18-20, 2022, after the Giants traded him to Seattle following his original tenure in San Francisco.
The majority of the work during Bailey's absence will likely fall on the shoulders of the 35-year-old from Walnut Creek.
“I just have to keep going,” he said. “Obviously I'm disappointed that Patty has to sit out for a while, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play. Hopefully we won't miss anything when I get back.”
So far, so good.
The Giants' victory Tuesday night was their seventh consecutive win in games wherein Casali began, improving his overall record with him as a hitter this season to 14-10.
About two hours before Monday's game, he received word that he can be within the starting lineup that night, but prior to that, he had only began twice in 19 games since catching half of the sport's doubleheader on July 27.
“I'm going to go out there and do my best, so I hope Webby makes it easy for me,” Casali said. “But I feel good. I'm fresh and ready to go. … I feel like a young 35-year-old right now.”
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