The Giants' catching situation went from fine to a problem fast. Daniel Susac, San Francisco's rookie starting catcher, suffered a patellar fracture in his left knee after fouling a ball directly off it during Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Tigers. He's not expected to catch again this season, which left the Giants scrambling to figure out who's squatting behind the plate for the stretch run.
Their answer: bring back a familiar face. San Francisco signed Andrew Knizner, 31, to a major league contract, marking his second stint with the club after appearing in 33 games for the Giants in 2025. He'll pair with rookie Drew Cavanaugh, who's now expected to take on the bulk of the catching reps with Susac sidelined.
To make room, San Francisco designated infielder Eddys Leonard for assignment. It's a rough turn for the 25-year-old, who'd only been added to the roster about a week earlier and picked up 2 hits in 8 at-bats before getting squeezed out. The roster shuffle didn't stop there either — the Giants also optioned catcher Zach Morgan to Triple-A Sacramento and reinstated outfielder Victor Bericoto from the injured list, clearing multiple spots in one swoop.
None of this is glamorous roster-building, but it's the kind of depth move that decides whether a team's season slips through the cracks in August. Losing your everyday catcher to a fractured kneecap is the sort of injury that can gut a lineup's rhythm behind the plate, and the Giants didn't have the luxury of waiting around to see how it shakes out.
Knizner's never been a big offensive threat, but he knows the pitching staff and the organization, which matters more than raw numbers when you're trying to steady a position in crisis mode. Leonard, for his part, becomes a name to watch on waivers — a 25-year-old with pop who simply ran into bad roster timing.