Giants pitcher Jake Peavy has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with an injured back, the Giants tweeted. In a related move, the club has recalled catching prospect Andrew Susac. Peavy has struggled with the injury throughout spring and the early season. He allowed eight runs in 7.2 innings through two starts and was scratched prior to an outing last week.
Peavy himself noted that his back needed “a little treatment,” per Chris Haft of MLB.com. Based on that comment alone, it sounds as though he may avoid an extended stay on the disabled list. Short term, the club can call upon Ryan Vogelsong or Yusmeiro Petit for spot starts. Both players are on the active roster. Matt Cain, who is on the disabled list with a strained flexor tendon, is still a few days away from playing catch.
Of course, the promotion of Susac is of interest for a Giants squad that has scored just 32 runs through 12 games. Susac is the 88th ranked prospect by Baseball America. The 25-year-old accrued 95 plate appearances last season and hit .273/.326/.466. With the presence of Buster Posey and Hector Sanchez, there isn’t an obvious role for Susac. However, I could see the club giving Brandon Belt some rest (.077/.143/.077) or even using him in the outfield for a few games. It’s possible, perhaps likely, that Susac will be optioned once the club needs a fifth starter. By my count, that will happen on April 25.
Giants look like a 90-loss team this year.
I agree. Cardinals look like a real World Series contender already.
Note to Giants: DON’T OPTION SUSAC! Please keep him; we need him! He was great for us last year, and it’s possible that he’s hitting better than Sanchez right now.
Can’t you platoon the three catchers? PLEASE!
I think, sadly, it’s impossible to carry three catchers in today’s game with 7 or 8 relievers. Even if you could play Posey at first, that allows you just one backup infielder and one backup outfielder, maybe a utility guy. I don’t think any manager likes to have such a limited bench. I hope roster expansion is part of the next CBA.
Thanks for your opinion, which I value. It seems like the 25-man roster should become a relic of the past, with such heavy bullpens. (Did you notice Krukow’s reference during yesterday’s ring ceremony to the number of complete games that Gaylord Perry pitched? What a different era!)
What about training Susac as an optional infielder? Almost every catcher has started out in another position originally, right? Posey, for example, was a star pitcher in high school, and even pitched in Taiwan with the US Junior Olympics team. But perhaps the only other position a catcher can reasonably be expected to play is 1st base?
Posey played at shortstop and third base in college, but I doubt the Giants would want him out there because of injury risk. I agree with you that the 25-man roster is a relic; it’s time to give managers more flexibility. It’s not like 25 is some sacred numbers – it was 24 until 1988. Lets make it 27 or 28 and keep players healthier.
As far as catchers go, Biggio quite famously moves to second and then center, but he was fast, which Posey and Susac are not. Most good-hitting catchers – Ted Simmons and Joe Torre, for example – move to either first or third eventually.
Trade Sanchez to the Mets for an arm and start Susac behind the plate. Susac has much more upside than Sanchez.