San Francisco Giants Sign Veteran Catcher To Major League Deal

With Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy both on the injured list, Curt Casali will give the Giants some additional depth.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Curt Casali (12). / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

The San Francisco Giants signed veteran catcher Curt Casali to a Major League contract on Wednesday, adding depth to a position that has been battered due to injuries.

The signing was reported by multiple outlets in San Francisco, including the San Francisco Chronicle. Casali is listed as part of the Giants’ starting lineup for Wednesday’s game with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In corresponding moves to make room, San Francisco moved Tom Murphy — who was Patrick Bailey’s back-up catcher — to the 60-day injured list and send Jackson Reetz back to Triple-A Sacramento.

The Giants now have Casali and Blake Sabol on the active roster.

San Francisco is familiar with Casali. He was on the roster in 2021 and part of 2022. He batted .218 with nine home runs and 40 RBI.

The Giants dealt Casali and pitcher Matthew Boyd to Seattle for pitcher Michael Stryffeler and catcher Andy Thomas on Aug. 2, 2022.

Murphy was moved to the 60-day injured list due to a left knee sprain. Bailey is on the 7-day concussion list for the second time this month after taking a foul ball off his mask against Philadelphia on May 4.

Casali hit free agency after the Chicago Cubs released him on May 14. Casali was with their Triple-A affiliate in Iowa after signing a minor league deal in late March. Before that, Casali was with the Miami Marlins on a minor league deal with a spring training invite.

With Iowa, he batted .362 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 23 games.

The 35-year-old Casali was a former 10th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. Since making his MLB debut with Tampa Bay in 2014, he’s played for the Rays and the Cincinnati Reds. He’s a lifetime .220 hitter in the Majors with 47 home runs and 154 RBI in 502 career games.