2:18pm: The Giants announced the moves, with utility player Luke Williams being designated for assignment to create space for Papierski on the 40-man roster. Acquired from the Phillies in March, Williams has played eight games and hit .250/.250/.333, 67 wRC+, though he’s hit much better in ten Triple-A games. The 25-year-old still has options and has played everywhere on the diamond except in the battery, meaning he should garner plenty of interest around the league. The Giants will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers.
2:10pm: The Giants have placed catcher Curt Casali on the seven-day concussion injured list, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Fellow catcher Mike Papierski has had his contract selected and will start behind the plate in tonight’s game. Papierski was not previously on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be required to make room for him.
Casali, 33, came out of last night’s game, with Shea relaying that the reason was because of a foul tip that he took off the mask, leading to some concussion symptoms. Manager Gabe Kapler said that Casali felt better after the game but would be re-evaluated today. It seems there must have been something lingering, as Casali will now be out of action for at least a week.
This is Casali’s second year with the Giants. Last season, playing backup to Buster Posey, Casali got into 77 games and hit .210/.313/.350 for a wRC+ of 82. In the wake of Posey’s retirement, Casali and Joey Bart have been splitting the catching time almost evenly, with Bart getting 22 starts to Casali’s 16. Bart’s 102 wRC+ indicates he’s been 2% better than league average at the plate so far this year, though that’s come about in a very uneven fashion. His four home runs and 14% walk rate are excellent, but he’s also hitting .169 and striking out 45.3% of the time. Casali, on the other hand, was off to a great start in a more straightforward manner. In 61 plate appearances so far, he’s hitting .264/.344/.472 for a wRC+ of 134. Unfortunately, that hot start has now been stalled by this unfortunate injury.
As for Papierski, he was just acquired from the Astros in last week’s Mauricio Dubon trade and will be quickly called up to make his major league debut. A ninth round selection in the 2017 draft, he has played in 29 Triple-A games this year between the two organizations. His batting line for the season is .200/.303/.260.
