Roberto Pérez to the 60-day IL, Austin Wynns called up, Darin Ruf back

The injury that Roberto Pérez sustained during the San Francisco Giants 3-1 loss to Kansas City Royals on Friday night didn’t look good. And now we know that it wasn’t.

On Saturday morning, ahead of the second game in the series, the Giants announced that Pérez had been placed on the 60-day Injured List. Replacing him on the active roster is Austin Wynns who had to be added to the 40-man roster after being outrighted during the offseason.

The drop off from Pérez, a two-time Gold Glove winner, to Wynns is noticeable on paper. But Wynns spent 57 games at catcher for the Giants a season ago, and earned rave reviews from the pitching staff. He’s familiar with many of the arms on the team, and works well with a lot of them.

What’s unclear is how long he’ll stay on the roster. The Giants recently signed two-time All-Star Gary Sánchez to a Minor League deal. Once he gets up to speed in AAA after missing Spring Training, it seems likely that he’ll be added to the roster. And of course there’s Joey Bart, who isn’t eligible to return from the 10-day IL until tomorrow, and is set for a rehab appearance in Sacramento. And all that is with Blake Sabol already on the roster, and seemingly gaining faith from the front office and coaching staff that he can catch.

In other Giants news, the team re-signed right-handed slugger Darin Ruf to a Minor League deal. Ruf was a feel-good story for the Gians in 2020 and 2021, but struggled last year. San Francisco flipped him to the New York Mets in a highly lopsided deal, gaining J.D. Davis and three noteworthy prospects. But he struggled in the Big Apple, was designated for assignment, and now can offer the Giants some depth the upper Minors.