In a season full of injury fallout, Drew Cavanaugh was one of the players who got pulled along by the chaos and turned it into opportunity.
The 24-year-old catcher didn’t even take part in Giants spring training, but the organization still gave him a look in the March 19 Spring Breakout game against the Reds’ prospects. He went 0-for-1 with a walk in a 10-1 loss. From there, his path got busy fast.
Cavanaugh opened the year in Double-A Richmond and wasted little time forcing a move. In 22 games for the Flying Squirrels, he hit .279 with a .971 OPS before getting bumped to Triple-A Sacramento on May 12. That wasn’t new territory for him - he had already appeared in nine games for the River Cats in 2024 and 14 more in 2025 - but he didn’t linger there long either.
The real opening came when Daniel Susac was injured and Cavanaugh kept producing. Over 32 Triple-A games, he hit .330 with a 1.016 OPS and six home runs.
That stretch earned him the call to San Francisco on June 26, when the Giants designated reliever Wilkin Ramos for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. A few hours later, Cavanaugh was at Oracle Park making his debut against the Braves and went 1-for-3 with a walk.
He also became Florida Southern’s 13th former player to reach the majors and its first to debut in the squat.
For a stretch, he was in the lineup almost every day. When Susac returned from the injured list on July 17, the Giants stayed committed to the young catching group and designated veteran Eric Haase for assignment instead of sending Cavanaugh back down. The plan at that point centered on Susac, Cavanaugh, and Jesus Rodriguez.
Then Susac went back on the injured list for the third and final time on August 10 with a fractured kneecap, and Cavanaugh was pushed into an even bigger role. The bat didn’t always keep up.
In 19 August games, he managed just 11 hits in 58 plate appearances, hitting .208 with a .502 OPS. That ended up being his weakest full month at the plate.
Still, the Giants kept giving him chances behind the dish, and his power eventually showed up. On September 12 at Oracle Park, he hit his first big-league homer against the Padres.
Then on September 26 against the Dodgers, he went 2-for-2 with a double and a triple. September turned out to be his best month offensively, with a .238 average and .718 OPS.
The defensive side still has room to grow. In 373 2/3 innings over 52 games at catcher, Cavanaugh posted -3 catching runs, -4 framing, and +1 blocking. His pop time to second base was 1.88 seconds, better than the MLB average of 1.94.
For now, Cavanaugh remains on the 40-man roster ahead of the roster crunch expected over the next couple of weeks. The Giants can send him back to Sacramento, since he still has all three of his minor-league option years left, or they can keep the young catching mix intact with Cavanaugh, Susac, and Rodriguez, using Rodriguez as a super-utility player.
Either way, Cavanaugh has already made the most of a season that opened with very little certainty. His big-league story is only beginning.
In Other News...
Jeremy Affeldt Still Owns One Of The Giants' Wildest October Legacies
Jeremy Affeldts October rsum still stands out whenever the Giants championship years come up, and for good reason. Few relievers in postseason history have been as consistently hard to square up, with Affeldt sitting at the top of the all-time list in WHIP and hits per nine innings among pitchers who threw at least 30 playoff innings. His 0.86 ERA in the playoffs is also part of a tiny class near the very top of the record book, which helps explain why he became such a trusted arm during San Franciscos run of three World Series titles.
The biggest stage of that legacy came in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, when Affeldt delivered 2.1 scoreless innings and picked up the win in the clincher. It was the sort of performance that fit his entire postseason profile: calm, efficient and right on time when the Giants needed it most. Even years later, his October work remains one of the more vivid reminders of how much San Franciscos title teams leaned on relievers who could control the biggest moments. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Fans Can Enjoy This Dodgers Collapse For One Reason
The Brewers sweep of the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series brought a sharp end to a club that has made a habit of turning October into a year-round expectation. For Giants fans, the result lands with a little extra edge because of the rivalry, but it also serves as a reminder of how far the balance of power in the division has tilted while San Francisco has spent more time building than contending.
That contrast is what makes the Dodgers stumble worth noticing in the Bay Area. Los Angeles still has the kind of roster and recent track record that can make a bad week feel like a brief interruption, while the Giants remain in a developmental stage, sorting through the next wave of talent and trying to line up a more sustainable run of competitiveness. Even with attendance trends and the long view in mind, this is the sort of October outcome that gives Giants fans a small but welcome reason to smile. [Read more 🡒]
Former Giants Coach Is Earning Attention As Another Faces Uncertain Future
Jos Alguacil has quietly built a strong case for more attention since leaving San Francisco, and the results in Kansas City are hard to ignore. The former Giants infield coach has spent the past four seasons with the Royals, and this year every one of Kansas Citys infielders was named a finalist for the 2026 Gold Glove awards, a nod to the kind of defensive work that usually reflects steady coaching behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, another former Giants staffer is in a much shakier spot. Ethan Katz, who once served as San Franciscos assistant pitching coach, is now a free agent after being let go by the Astros in the wake of managerial and general manager changes, and his path forward is still unsettled. Houston also blocked Katz from interviewing for a promotion with another club, though that opportunity may still be alive, leaving his next move far from clear. [Read more 🡒]