Giants make waiver claim to help address catching-depth issue

Giants make waiver claim to help address catching-depth issue originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — For an organization run by a catcher, the Giants sure don’t have a lot of catching depth at the moment. They made a move Wednesday to help solve that issue.

The Giants claimed catcher Sam Huff from the Texas Rangers and designated right-hander Austin Warren for assignment. Huff, 26, played just three big league games last season, but he has MLB experience in four of the last five seasons.

The Giants had just three catchers on their 40-man roster before the move, and there are question marks with two of them. Backup Tom Murphy sprained his left knee last May and never returned, or even got particularly close to a rehab assignment. Blake Sabol is the third catcher on the 40-man, but the Giants now view him as more of a utility player. Sabol made just seven starts behind the plate last season, with Curt Casali coming in to back up Patrick Bailey after Murphy got hurt.

Huff didn’t play much in the big leagues last year but has 198 at-bats over four seasons, with a .258/.313/.455 slash line and 10 homers. He has a pair of 20-homer seasons in the minors and had 13 last year in 111 Triple-A games. Huff comes with an intriguing background, having been a top 100 prospect in 2020 and 2021. He played in the Futures Game in 2019.

Warren made just six appearances in his lone season with the Giants after completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery. The Giants will need to make an additional move soon to clear a spot for Justin Verlander.

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