It's the kind of injury that makes you wince just reading about it. Susac fouled a pitch straight into his left knee, stayed in to finish the at-bat, and the ball ended up doing more damage than anyone realized in the moment. The Giants confirmed the diagnosis: a fractured patella, and the rookie catcher is now headed for a stint on the injured list while doctors map out next steps.
This one stings because of the timing. Susac, a Rule 5 pick, had actually locked down the starting catcher job in San Francisco this year, hitting.243 with 3 home runs across 161 plate appearances while grading out as one of the better defensive backstops in the league — strong framing, strong arm. He'd already fought through elbow neuritis and a lower back strain earlier in the season just to get to this point, and now a freak foul ball takes him out again.
The bigger problem for San Francisco is depth. Jesus Rodriguez, the other catcher on the roster, is already out with right elbow neuritis of his own, which means the Giants are suddenly down to backup Drew Cavanaugh behind the plate — and Cavanaugh has had his own defensive struggles this year, including multiple passed balls and throwing errors. That's not exactly the profile you want holding down the fort.
San Francisco's answer for now is Zach Morgan, called up from Triple-A Sacramento to fill the immediate need. It's a stopgap, and reportedly the front office is already scouring the market for a more experienced backup option to pair with Cavanaugh while Susac heals up. Names like former Giants catcher Chadwick Tromp, Andrew Knizner and recently-DFA'd Willie MacIver have come up as possibilities.
Patellar fractures aren't something you just play through — depending on severity, catchers in particular can be looking at a lengthy recovery given how much stress the position puts on the knees. For a Giants team trying to hold its ground in a crowded playoff race, losing its best defensive catcher to a freak foul ball is the kind of break nobody plans for.