The Giants spent 2026 cycling through catchers, and by the time the season wound down, Andrew Knizner had become part of the solution almost by necessity.
That wasn’t how this looked at the start of the year. Knizner’s return to San Francisco never seemed especially likely, but the position kept unraveling after the Giants traded Patrick Bailey.
Daniel Susac battled injuries and eventually broke his kneecap. Jesus Rodriguez ran into an elbow issue.
Drew Cavanaugh did his part after getting called up and staying healthy, but the Giants still needed another body to help shoulder the load. Knizner became available at the right moment after he opted out of a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox.
Once he was back, he gave the Giants what he’s given them before: steady, unspectacular catching depth. In 29 games, Knizner hit .219/.288/.356 with two homers and four runs batted in. That wasn’t far off from his 2025 line with San Francisco, when he posted a .221/.299/.299 slash line with one homer and five RBIs.
He wound up splitting time with Cavanaugh over the final month and a half, and he played more than expected. That could say something about how the Giants viewed Cavanaugh, or it could simply mean they wanted to give him a little relief behind the plate.
After the season, Knizner looked like a clear 40-man roster casualty. The Giants placed him on waivers, he cleared, and San Francisco outrighted him to Triple-A. He can elect free agency, and that’s the likeliest outcome.
Even so, a reunion in 2027 can’t be dismissed. Jeff Young noted that the Giants need to add catcher depth, and Knizner could fit back in on a minor league deal, compete for the backup job in spring training, and head to Triple-A if he doesn’t crack the big league roster.
He knows the organization and the pitching staff, which matters. At the same time, backup catchers with his track record tend to move around, so another opportunity elsewhere would hardly be a surprise.
Still, Knizner came back once. There’s always a chance he does it again.
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But the recent version of Gallen is a far tougher sell. He struggled to a 6.07 ERA in 2026, posted a career-high 1.547 WHIP and was limited to 20 starts by an elbow injury, which is exactly the sort of durability concern that can turn a seemingly sensible target into another expensive misfire. If San Francisco does decide to take a chance, the safest path would seem to be a short-term, inexpensive deal, because the upside is obvious but the risk is just as clear. [Read more 🡒]