The Giants have placed catcher Eric Haase on release waivers, relays Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News. San Francisco designated him for assignment last week when Daniel Susac made his return from the injured list.
Haase has spent the last three months on the big league roster. The Giants selected his contract when Susac landed on the injured list for the first time in mid-April. Haase was then backing up Patrick Bailey. By the time Susac returned, Bailey had been traded to Cleveland. Susac again landed on the IL in late June, leading the Giants to select Drew Cavanaugh onto the MLB roster.
The Giants recalled another rookie, Jesús Rodríguez, a couple weeks ago. They’ll carry three first-year catchers with Susac’s return. The 33-year-old Haase is pushed off the roster after playing in 29 games. He tallied 84 plate appearances and hit .162/.235/.365 with four home runs. He struck out in a third of his trips.
That’s standard production for Haase, a veteran of parts of nine MLB seasons. He has above-average power with a lot of whiffs, leading to a career .224/.276/.394 slash line. Haase has a good arm but isn’t a polished receiving catcher.
Haase surpassed the five year service threshold this season. That gives him the right to refuse all minor league assignments while retaining his salary. Once the Giants were unable to line up a trade partner, a release was their only option. Haase will very likely clear waivers and become a free agent within the next 48 hours. He could be limited to minor league offers but should find interest as a depth piece, as teams like the Orioles, White Sox and Rangers have had recent injuries to their catching corps.
