Category: MLB

The Dodgers (26-18) travel to Orange County Friday evening to battle the Angels (16-28) for a three-game series at Angel Stadium. 

Blake Snell was scratched before his scheduled start and is going on the injured list due to loose bodies in his left elbow.

The Dodgers will go with a bullpen game in the series opener.

Jack Kochanowicz (2-2, 3.97 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) starts for the Angels. 

Freddie Freeman also gets a break.

Lineups

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Angels
• Ballpark: Angel Stadium, Anaheim
• Time: 6:38 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, KTTV channel 11 (Angels broadcast)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The San Francisco Giants head to Sacramento tonight to begin a three-game series against the Athletics.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Tyler Mahle, who enters tonight’s game with a 5.18 ERA, 5.03 FIP, with 42 strikeouts to 20 walks in 41.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 7-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, in which he allowed four runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in five and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against A’s right-hander Aaron Civale, who enters tonight’s game with a 2.59 ERA, 3.78 FIP, with 33 strikeouts to 13 walks in 41.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Athletics’ 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, in which he allowed six hits and three walks with six strikeouts in five innings.

Game #45

Who: San Francisco Giants (18-26) vs. Athletics (22-21)

Where: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, California

When: 6:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area & KNTV (Giants); NBC Sports California (A’s)

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Let’s run it back.

Leg two of the Vedder Cup begins Friday in Seattle. The Mariners got swept in the first set in San Diego, so they’ll need to sweep at home in order to have a chance in the tie breaker, which is run differential (Padres lead 16-9) then average exit velocity in the series (Mariners lead 88.8 to 88.6).

Randy Vásquez and Emerson Hancock face-off again in game one. Both pitchers spent years toiling without the ability to miss bats, and both pitchers have suddenly figured it out this year, getting tons of whiffs and strikeouts. They may be their respective league’s most improved players. I wrote about the changes for Vásquez last month at FanGraphs, and on the same day, Michael Rosen outlined the changes for Hancock. The Mariners put up a four-spot on Vásquez last time out, and Hancock held his own. But the Mariners ultimately lost that game after Andrés Muñoz allowed five runs in the bottom of the ninth.

The Padres enter the series as one of the luckiest teams in baseball. For more on that, Jake Mailhot has you covered in the series preview.

The Mariners lineup looks a bit different with Cal Raleigh now on the IL. Randy Arozarena moves up to bat cleanup, and the lefty quartet each moves up behind him. Jhonny Pereda is behind the plate today and bats ninth.

Lineups:

News:

The Mariners provided updates about several players before the game. Kate Preusser has the latest:

Game Information:

Game time: 6:40 PT

TV: Mariners.TV

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

Nine days ago, the San Diego Padres placed their starting second baseman, Jake Cronenworth, on the seven-day injured list. The bats have gone cold against quality starting pitching, and the loss of Cronenworth has completely paralyzed the Padres’ offense. It has left a noticeable void at the bottom of the order.

It is still unclear how severe his injury is or how long he will be gone. Keep in mind that concussions are rarely a two-week IL stint. The organization remains optimistic, but it would be reckless to put Cronenworth back in the lineup unless he is fully healthy.

Hopefully, this setback is short-term, and the two-time All-Star will be back in the fold soon.

Padres’ offense needs to improve its run-scoring production

The depleted lineup must find ways to score runs. Friars manager Craig Stammen has resorted to sacrificing defense to bolster the offense. He inserted Nick Castellanos into the lineup as the primary rightfielder and moved Fernando Tatis Jr. to second. 

Unfortunately, the results have not been promising. Castellanos has shown limited range in the outfield, and his bat has looked slow going through the zone.

Granted, he did homer to tie the final game of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals, which the Padres won in extra innings. No question, this is Castellanos’ shot to show his value to the team. It may take a few more consecutive starts before he regains his former stroke and becomes a lethal run-producer.

Andujar and thrilling late-inning victories

Thankfully, Miguel Andujar has taken the challenge and become one of the Friars’ top run producers. He is hitting .289 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 114 at-bats. Andujar has stabilized the middle of the order. The lone negative is his high strikeout rate (19.5%), which is well above his career average of 15.8%. 

Thrilling, late-inning victories have become this team’s trademark. This season, the Friars have won 11 games in the seventh inning or later. A stark contrast from the five wins achieved in 2025. The late-game magic has accounted for nearly half of their 25 wins. 

Gavin Sheets has hit three go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning, including a walk-off three-run blast against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park in April. 

The heroics have masked the inconsistency with the lineup. Stammen might experiment with the lineup’s order to jumpstart the struggling offense. 

Preller on the prowl for a bat

Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller is still on the hunt for another bat, as you never have too much hitting on your roster. The absence of Cronenworth proves the gap in the lineup.

Time will tell if the Friars have enough minor-league prospect trade chips to acquire a productive, proven hitter. 

The Padres have shocked the world by playing even with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the National League West. They need to dig themselves out of their current predicament and become more productive at the plate. 
.

In his last experience facing the Yankees’ best hitter in a major league game — before a possible rematch Friday — Luke Weaver was schooled on proper etiquette.

Then pitching for the Reds in 2023, Weaver caught flack from Aaron Judge for not acknowledging him with a head nod when Judge came to bat against him for the Yankees.

The two were teammates in the Cape Cod League as collegiate players.

“We hadn’t seen each other in quite a bit,” the Mets reliever said Friday before the Subway Series commenced at Citi Field. “Aaron Judge was at the plate, and I was in a bit of a trying season, so I needed all the energy I could muster. We had a laugh about it, and he made it a big deal, but in a light, kindhearted way.”

Weaver spent the past two seasons as Judge’s teammate, but has reverted to wearing an opposing uniform.

He entered Friday with a 4.15 ERA in 17 appearances for the Mets this season.

The Mets signed Weaver to a two-year contract worth $20 million last winter after he received limited interest from the Yankees following a rough final stretch with the club.

“There was some light communication, I think respectful communication, and just like staying in touch,” Weaver said. “But I think they were wanting to go in a different direction, so there wasn’t anything major in our discussions about returning.”

Weaver, who pitched to a 9.64 ERA last September before having two ugly postseason outings in three appearances, said he holds no animosity toward the Yankees for wanting to move on from him.

“I have a lot of great, fond memories,” said Weaver, who pitched for the Yankees in the 2024 World Series. “For me individually down the stretch, it didn’t quite click the way it did the year before. Circumstances change and roles change and obviously results sometimes change.”

Weaver had a brutal stretch last month (he pitched to a 7.20 ERA in April), but entered Friday with five straight scoreless appearances.

“I think there were a couple of outings there where I kind of lost myself mechanically,” Weaver said. “It was kind of hard to get ahead in counts and I was pitching behind a lot.

“Lately, things have been going pretty good. Like our team, we go through waves and we’re trying to find ways to get back on track where we feel confident and we’re flowing the right way. I just want to continue to keep that momentum and not change based off who is stepping in the box and just attack.”

San Diego Padres (25-18) at Seattle Mariners (22-23), May 15, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: T-Mobile Park – Seattle, Wash.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
• Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads

On Friday afternoon, Colorado Rockies right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander spoke with the media about a right elbow injury that led to him being removed from yesterday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and being placed on the 15-day injured list today.

Dollander described his injury as “just a very minor UCL sprain. That’s just what the MRI showed. I have a little information around the ligament, nothing to be too concerned about. Just thanking God that it wasn’t more than that. Obviously, it’s probably the best case scenario. Trying to look at the positive side.”

This comes as good news for both Rockies fans and for Dollander, who looked despondent in the locker room after yesterday’s game.

“If anything happens in that area, your mind automatically goes to the worst case scenario,” Dollander explained. “But you know, as I started to sit with it and talk to some people, I kind of knew going into the MRI this morning that it probably wasn’t what I thought it was. So again, thank God that it wasn’t. This could be a very different conversation.”

Dollander mentioned that he had experienced some discomfort following his last start against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I started to feel it right after the Philly start, but as I threw it kind of went away,” he said.

“And then for whatever reason [on Thursday] it just never went away. So I’m glad the trainer saw it and came out and got me because, me, I would have stayed out there and possibly could have blown myself out.”

Dollander told the media he spoke with his agent, his off-season pitching coach, and some of his other friends. They helped assuage his concerns.

“They all said typically it’s just one pitch, one moment, and you feel a nervy kind of sensation in your fingers,” described Dollander. “I never felt that.”

He further discussed the advice he got that helped him calm down.

“It’s the worst-case scenario, you know, but that’s where my head was at with it,” Dollander said. “I never want to say it (Tommy John), but they were just trying to calm my nerves and stuff. So it helped a lot.”

One of the friends Dollander spoke to was two-time Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Shane McClanahan. Dollander has been mentored by McClanahan and trains with him during the off-season. McClanahan has had Tommy John surgery twice, most recently missing the 2024 season because of it.

“He reached out to me and made sure I was okay,” Dollander said. “He just told me ‘Don’t overthink it. Just wait for the results and go from there. He’s very good with advice like that.”

Dollander was placed on the 15-day injured list this afternoon, though he doesn’t know when he’ll return to action.

“We’re still waiting for some answers and some things like that,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll have a timetable here soon, but the main thing is just not to rush, to make sure it doesn’t turn into something it doesn’t need to be.”

The 24-year-old former ninth overall pick also took a moment to reflect on his season so far.

“The past couple of outings haven’t really gone the way I intended them to go,” he said. “But I’m just constantly learning, constantly on the attack, and making sure that I am where I need to be. I feel like so far it’s been good, but there’s definitely room for improvements there.”

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Tonight, the Athletics look to get back to winning ways as they kick-off a three-game series against their regional rival, the San Francisco Giants, in West Sacramento. While this rivalry matchup does not feel the same in the wake of the A’s departing Oakland to eventually relocate to Las Vegas, Sutter Health Park should be packed with fans this weekend given the strong fanbase both of these teams have collected across Northern California.

Yesterday, the A’s bullpen blew its American League leading 10th save of the season. The St. Louis Cardinals scored two runs off A’s reliever Jack Perkins in the ninth to turn a one-run deficit into a one-run lead and leave town with the series victory. It is imperative that the A’s move on and turn their attention toward the Giants, who at 18-26 are off to a rough start. Having lost the final two games of a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants are also hungry for wins as they look to build momentum.

Right-hander Aaron Civale will take the mound for the home squad in this evening’s series-opener. The 30-year-old has far exceeded fans’ expectations, doing exactly what the A’s envisioned when they signed him in free-agency this past offseason. He enters his ninth start with a 4-1 record, a 2.59 ERA and 33 strikeouts across 41 2/3 innings. Civale earned the win in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles, recording six strikeouts over five scoreless innings. The team would love for him to continue his strong run of form tonight against a Giants’ offense that has scored the fewest runs in the league.

The Athletics’ lineup shakes out like this:

It is good to see center fielder Henry Bolte in the lineup for the third straight day, and the second straight against a right-handed pitcher. Lawrence Butler gets the start in right field over fellow left-handed hitter Carlos Cortes, a somewhat puzzling decision given that Cortes has contributed more offensively lately, though Butler is the stronger defender. The A’s gave Butler a contract extension before the 2025 season began following his stellar performance over the final few months of the previous season. Both Butler and the team would benefit if he can go on another one of those hot streaks.

Veteran right-hander Tyler Mahle starts for San Francisco. The 31-year-old has struggled through his first eight starts with the Giants, going 1-4 with a 5.18 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. In his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Mahle received a no-decision after allowing four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. In two previous starts against the A’s, Mahle went 0-2 with a 1.50 ERA. The “Green and Gold” aim to have more success against Mahle tonight after his strong performances in their previous meetings.

And the Giants will line up like this tonight:

The Giants have several well-regarded hitters in their lineup, so it seems unlikely that they will keep struggling offensively much longer. Civale needs to be careful when pitching to former A’s player third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Rafael Devers.

Additionally, catcher Daniel Susac will be in the spotlight. The A’s declined to protect their 2022 first-round pick ahead of the Rule 5 Draft this past offseason. The Minnesota Twins selected Susac and then traded him to the Giants for minor-league catcher Miguel Caraballo and cash. Susac got off to a strong start before getting injured and is now back in the lineup against his former organization.

A win would put the A’s two games over the .500 mark and assure that the team will remain in first place at least for one more day. Not to mention, it would further perpetuate the Giants’ miserable start to the season.  Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

Jordan Westburg’s 2026 season is over before it even started in a huge blow for the Orioles.

Westburg, 27, underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias announced Friday.

The infielder, who has a partial UCL tear, was hoping to play this year after receiving a plasma injection on Feb. 20, MLB.com reported.

Westburg, selected by the Orioles with the No. 30 pick in 2020, has had trouble staying on the field since being called up by Baltimore midway through the 2023 season.

The 2024 All-Star fractured his throwing hand in the second half of that same season and missed over a month of 2025 while rehabbing a left hamstring strain.

Westburg had been building on his throwing progression following the plasma shot before being shut down earlier in May due to recurring discomfort in his elbow.

“He’s hanging in there the best he could,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz recently said, according to MLB.com. “But also, it weighs on you. You want to be out here, you want to be out here competing, being with the boys, playing the game he loves. … Yeah, it sucks. I feel for him.”

When healthy, Westburg has proven to be a key part of the Orioles’ lineup, posting a slash line of .265/.313/.457 with 53 doubles and 38 home runs in 260 games over the past three seasons.

Westburg is just the latest addition to a slew of injuries for Baltimore to start 2026, with over a dozen players now on their injured list less than two months into the season.

Albernaz, who has used 41 players in just 44 games, told reporters that everyone has to be “ready to compete” as injuries plague the roster.

“The next-man-up mentality is real,” Albernaz said, according to Baltimore Baseball. “All our guys will go there ready to compete, doesn’t matter who we have. First of all, they’re trying to win the game. We gotta look at things differently and do things differently.

“We’ve gotta try to do whatever and evaluate every aspect to make sure that we’re taking care of our guys and we’re doing the right thing around here, and that’s something I’m challenging the whole staff on. That’s a point of emphasis right now.”

The Yankees will not be replacing one ace with another, at least not yet. 

The final steps of Gerrit Cole’s comeback from Tommy John surgery will not be accelerated by Max Fried landing on the injured list with a left elbow bone bruise, manager Aaron Boone said Friday, meaning the Yankees will likely go two turns in the rotation without either one in it. 

As of Friday, the plan was for Cole to make two more rehab starts — the next one coming Saturday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — before he could rejoin the Yankees by the end of the month. 

“The likelihood is two more with him and then we’ll be in position to roll,” Boone said before the Yankees beat the Mets 5-2 at Citi Field. “Don’t want to take him off track for a short-term need. When he’s ready, then he’ll insert in.” 

Cole will likely build up to 80-plus pitches Saturday and then repeat that threshold in what would be his seventh and potentially final rehab start. Saturday marks the 30th day of his rehab assignment, typically the maximum allowed for pitchers, though they can be extended (with the player’s approval) if they are coming back from Tommy John surgery. 

All along, Cole has been on board with taking his time in his rehab process, sticking to a 14- to 18-month timeline for a return — with last Monday marking 14 months since surgery. 

“Just wanting to build him correctly and safely,” Boone said. “Just want to get him to a threshold to where he’s in a good spot. … Just want to be disciplined to coming off of a serious injury where he missed a lot of time. Want that build to be a steady one and one that puts him in the best position to come back and have a lot of success up here.” 

The likely fill-in between Fried and Cole is Elmer Rodríguez, who had replaced Luis Gil in the rotation for two starts before Carlos Rodón returned from the IL last weekend. 

Entering Friday, Cody Bellinger had some drastic home/road splits — batting .377 with a 1.259 OPS in 19 games at Yankee Stadium and .188 with a .516 OPS in 24 road games. He then went 1-for-5 with an RBI double against the Mets. 

“I think part of it is he is cut out for our ballpark,” Boone said. “One of the reasons we went and got him was we feel like he’s set up for Yankee Stadium. But that said, I would expect these things to balance itself out a little bit with how good a player Belli is.” 

Ben Rice crushed his 14th home run of the season in the ninth inning off Craig Kimbrel, capping off a strong three-hit night. He and Aaron Judge (16 homers) are the second pair of Yankees teammates to record 14 or more home runs through the team’s first 45 games of a season, joining Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (1961). 

In his second game of the season, Anthony Volpe drew three walks for the first time since March 28, 2024.

Into Coors Field for the first time this year go the Diamondbacks. Always an… interesting experience, shall we say. No lead should ever be considered safe, and it tends to be where bullpens go to die. But the D-backs’ relief corps has, by and large, been performing quite well so far in May. And that’s putting it mildly. I was shocked – SHOCKED! – to discover that the Diamondbacks actually have the lowest bullpen ERA for the month so far. They have allowed only seven earned runs so far in May – and three of those came in Paul Sewald’s outing in Texas on Wednesday night.

It’s worth noting the D-backs also have the fewest number of relief innings pitched for the month. This is mostly due to starters who have been pitching much deeper into games, since Torey Lovullo has his “come to Jesus” meeting with the rotation in Chicago. As a result, the D-backs have needed only about 2.2 innings per game out of the bullpen. Compare that to the Tigers, who have taxed their bullpen for a whopping 63.1 innings – twice as much as the Diamondbacks, using them for an average of more than five innings per game. That has helped the overwork issue Jack previously noted: things are much more under control there now.

We will see whether that remains the case after three days at altitude. As usual, Colorado is a tougher proposition in their home park: 8-11 vs. 9-16 on the road. Though we are only a quarter of the way through the season, that 171-point gap in win percentage is a lot more than it was in 2025, when the difference was only half as much, at 86 points. It’ll be interesting to see what reaction Nolan Arenado gets. While he played there with the Cardinals, of course, this will be his first return to Coors since being dealt to a divisional rival in the NL West. Maybe his departure cursed Colorado. Since then they have been the worst team in the majors and it isn’t close, with 27 fewer wins than anybody else.

Former MLB All-Star Lee “Buzz” Capra died on Monday, Illinois State University, his alma mater, confirmed. 

He was 78.

Capra was a 27th-round pick by the Mets in the 1969 draft after his time at Illinois State. 

“When I was hired as head coach of the Redbird Baseball program, Buzz was one of the first people to reach out, wish me luck and offer any assistance he could provide,” ISU head baseball coach Steve Holm said, per the school. 

“Buzz is a legend in our program and one of the best baseball players to ever wear a Redbird uniform. He was a Hall of Famer, national champion, longtime MLB professional and coach and his legacy in the game of baseball will live on. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and former ISU teammates at this difficult time.”

Capra made his big league debut with the Mets in 1971, making appearances in three seasons before having his rights sold to the Braves before the 1974 season. 

He had a career season that year, making the National League All-Star team for Atlanta while posting a 16-8 record and winning the NL ERA title with a 2.28 mark. He also received down-ballot Cy Young and MVP votes.

An arm injury would derail his career shortly after, limiting Capra to just 62 more big league appearances after his All-Star campaign.

Capra retired after being released by the Braves before the 1978 season, finishing his career with a 3.87 ERA across 544 ⅓ innings. 

After his playing days, Capra would coach baseball at Northeastern Illinois University and later served as a minor league pitching coach for various organizations, including the Braves, Mets, Expos, Phillies and White Sox.

The St. Louis Cardinals return home after a successful west coast road trip to kick off the I-70 series versus the Kansas City Royals. Dustin May gets the start for St. Louis while former Cardinal Michael Wacha will take the mound for Kansas City. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15p in Busch Stadium and the broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.

The last time we gathered here for one of my recaps, the Royals had just won the second of two straight against the Detroit Tigers. It was the third straight weekend the Royals had won the first games of a weekend series, and the first two weekends had ended in a sweep. Things were looking very, very bright.

Now we come together, and the Royals have lost four in a row. They’ve gone from second place in the AL Central and holding a Wild Card Spot to the bottom of the AL Central and 2.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. The vibes are bad. Battlefield Earth bad. Game of Thrones finale bad.

Madame Web bad.

I’m not here to tell you that the vibes aren’t or shouldn’t be bad. What I am here to tell you is that, somehow, the Royals are fewer than 3 wins from a playoff spot in the middle – or maybe the end! – of their second set of awful vibes in the first third of the season. It’s less that the Royals need to immediately trade every moderately valuable player and more that we all need to just take a dang break. Maybe you don’t want to take a break from baseball. Good news! It’s Rivalry Weekend in baseball, which means every game except the national ones is available for free on MLB.TV this weekend. If you absolutely must watch some baseball but you find the Royals are ruining your mood, go watch any other team. They’ll be here when you’re ready to come back. Maybe they’ll even be playing better again.

Some of us, of course, get paid to watch this team. And, yeah, sometimes that seems like a cheat code. But weeks like this week show why it’s not just easy money. I’m not asking for any sympathy for y’all, just saying, if you’ve ever thought about how dumb it is that I get paid even the small amount I get paid to watch baseball, remember I’ve got to watch the truly awful baseball, too.

OK. On to the game.

Michael Wacha will take the mound. He was also the pitcher the last time the Royals won, so that feels like a good omen. And, frankly, he’s been fantastic this year. He’s the seventh-most valuable pitcher in the AL by bWAR. (fWAR doesn’t like him as well because he’s not getting strikeouts. Still, he, Seth Lugo, and Kris Bubic are all top-25 in AL fWAR.) Nothing is guaranteed in baseball, but having 2026 Michael Wacha on the mound feels like a good thing.

The Cardinals will counter with, thankfully, a right-hander in Dustin May. May was a top—20-in-MLB prospect when he debuted in 2019, but he has never gotten anywhere near that hype. He has been hurt a lot and, beginning last year, he hasn’t been remotely effective. That has continued into this season. He faced the Royals twice last year, once with the Dodgers and once with the Red Sox. He gave up a total of 7 runs in 7.2 innings. He lost the one with the Red Sox, though Noah Cameron had a poor game against the Dodgers, and the Royals lost that one 5-4. If the Royals lose tonight, it seems unlikely to be because Dustin May finally started getting them out.

Lineups

The Royals are putting the usual vRHP lineup. I don’t have anything to say about it I haven’t said before. And, honestly, as much as Sal shouldn’t be in the cleanup spot, the Royals have won plenty of games with him in that spot this year when their pitchers have otherwise done their jobs. So I guess it doesn’t matter enough to have a cow about.

Like all scrappy bench players, Christian Koss touched hearts and minds. Everybody loves an underdog and here is a guy who looks overmatched against big league pitching yet hanging in there anyway. It was just this past December when our own Steven Kennedy lavished 1,481 words on Christian Koss’s utility role in 2025, ending his player review with the question, “was [that] the best utility season in Giants history?” Like most baseball stories, though, it has encountered the inelegant prose of reality.

To make room for a third catcher, the Giants have optioned the 28-year old Koss back to Triple-A Sacramento ahead of this evening’s game between the Giants and the Athletics in… Sacramento. The River Cats are in Texas playing the Rangers’ Triple-A team that Round Rock Express. Unclear if he needs to travel to Texas to play three games or wait for them to return to Sacramento for a 6-game homestand against the same time. He had just 15 plate appearances across 9 games for and was 1-for-14. He also pitched two innings and allowed three runs. He was, effectively, a garbage time player, a near-180 degree turn from last year, when the front office seemed really excited to get him onto the Opening Day roster any way they could.

He’s out and in is the new flavor of the month, the Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac. He was 11-for-23 in 11 games before hitting the IL with a right ulnar neuritis injury. Not a good thing for a catcher to have with his throwing arm, and not a bat the Giants really could afford to lose. The Giants were just 4-7 with him and have gone 9-13 since, so, it’s not like he’s the straw that stirs the drink. On the other hand, the Giants are attempting to rebuild their catcher position in the aggregate through adding average-ish gloves with average-ish bats in hopes that enough average can overcome the offensive gravity well that Patrick Bailey’s bat had created in the lineup, the thing that compelled the Giants to finally trade him.

But Susac shoving Bailey aside is notable. The Giants drafted him as a Rule 5 and just a few months later he’s taking over as the #1 catcher on the depth chart. A little offense at the catcher position goes a long way with these Giants.

Still, it must be noted that the Giants are now carrying three catchers: Daniel Susac, Eric Haase, and Jesus Rodriguez. In theory, Rodriguez is Koss 2.0, while Susac and Haase are… hmm, not exactly Patrick Bailey. Maybe some sort of Hector Sanchez/Eli Whiteside situation, only… these are a lot of average-at-best right-handed bats to have on a roster. The bench is now Eldridge, Rodriguez, Haase, and Gilbert.