How SF Giants could divvy up Bailey, Susac's playing time going forward
CINCINNATI - With two-time Gold Glover Patrick Bailey still mired in a brutal slump, Giants manager Tony Vitello suggested before Thursday's drama-filled 3-0 win over the Reds that rookie Daniel Susac could be getting more time behind the plate.
"I think involving (Susac) as much as possible, see if we get into an every other day situation or whatever that might be," Vitello said.
The overwhelming majority of Bailey's value will derive from his glove, not his bat. He led all defenders, regardless of position, in Fielding Run Value over the last three seasons, and he’s still been an elite framer even with the introduction of the automated ball-strike system (ABS). Still, Bailey's tremendous defensive value can't overshadow the fact that he's been one of the worst hitters in the majors to start the season.
Bailey is hitting .128 with no extra-base hits over 50 plate appearances after grounding into a double play and striking out twice on Thursday. If Bailey had enough at-bats to qualify, his .308 OPS would rank last in the majors.
"I need to play better," Bailey said. "I need to perform better at the plate. That's about as simple as it gets. If my name's in the lineup, I'll do everything I can to help the team win."
Bailey's cold start wouldn't be as much of an issue if San Francisco's offense was hot, but through 19 games, the Giants rank last in the majors in runs scored (58), home runs (9) and walks (38), as well as 27th in OPS (.633).
Susac, a Rule 5 Draft pick, won’t possibly sustain his 1.338 OPS, but he’s 9-for-14 in his four starts and the Giants need as much offense as they can muster. On Wednesday, Susac made his first start of the season against a right-handed pitcher, proceeding to collect two more hits and two more RBIs.
“A lot of it’s just offseason changes,” Susac said. “Just keep working on it and keeping that the same every single day. It starts to get kind of redundant doing it every day, but it obviously helps when you see results. But just keeping the same process every day and keep attacking it day by day.”
When Vitello was asked on Wednesday about Susac producing against a right-handed pitcher, the rookie manager may have tipped his hand regarding the dynamic between Bailey and Susac:
"It's not going to work out very often if you have two or three spots in the lineup where you don't get anything out of it," Vitello said. "It could even be a 12-pitch strikeout, as foolish as that sounds, but at least you're wearing down the pitcher or you move a runner or something like that. You could go 0-for-4, but you can't have a spot in the order where you don't get anything out of it.
“And the one thing about (Susac's) at-bats is there always seems to be at least a good approach, and more times than not, there's something of value.”
Even on days when Susac doesn’t start, Vitello could find spots to deploy the rookie as a pinch hitter. Susac pinch-hit for Bailey on Tuesday with two outs in the ninth inning and the Giants trailing by one run, coming several feet short of hitting a game-tying homer.
Using Susac as a bat off the bench would be an easier proposition if the Giants recall Jesus Rodriguez, who’s capable of playing second base and left field in addition to catching.
The Washington Nationals are currently slated to start three right-handed pitchers against the Giants this weekend (Zack Littell, Cade Cavalli, Miles Mikolas), so it will be worth monitoring where Vitello settles on Susac’s start.
Bailey started Thursday’s day game following Wednesday’s night game, and he should be the starter on Friday night to catch Logan Webb. Susac has caught three of Robbie Ray’s four starts this season, and the left-hander’s next start is slated for Sunday’s series finale.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 6:32 AM.